


Tamed At Heart

by boos_pledis



Series: The Claimed Series [2]
Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Action & Romance, Alpha Choi Soobin, Alpha Huening Kai, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Beta Choi Beomgyu, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Love, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Choi Yeonjun, Omega Kang Taehyun, Original Character(s), other characters added later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26982388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boos_pledis/pseuds/boos_pledis
Summary: Mistakes are bound to happen.Soobin and Yeonjun like to believe they've learned that by now, especially with all that they've been put through.Parenthood, unexpected surprises, and unfortunate threats give the word a whole new meaning.Shame on Soobin for thinking otherwise.(Continuation to Wild At Heart)
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun, Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Series: The Claimed Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1969165
Comments: 115
Kudos: 384





	1. Chapter 1

Milk laced with cinnamon and sugar, a light spice to it that burns Soobin’s nose the slightest bit. In about a month or so, the spice will develop into a new scent that will determine the scent of the child now growing in Yeonjun’s womb. His child, _Soobin_ ’s child.  
  


He can barely believe it. But Taehyun _and_ Jimin both confirmed that the smell was what Soobin thought it was. It had been a couple hours since the fight and Soobin had smelled something on Yeonjun while he rested. It confused him at first, then it worried him and soon enough, he brought in the other two wolves and asked if they smelled it as well. 

They both confirmed that they smelled it as well and Soobin, at first, was mad. He was mad because Yeonjun put their children at risk so recklessly, but then realized that Yeonjun most likely didn’t know either. Yeonjun isn’t like that, he wouldn’t sacrifice the lives of their children, or any children, just to get a position on the guard. Plus, if Namjoon found out, he would’ve forced Yeonjun out of there, whether he was on the team or not because of his pregnancy. 

Soobin can’t stop staring at Yeonjun. He looks so at peace even though his body has to be aching and sore. Soobin also can’t stop worrying over the baby and he wants to figure out if the child is okay or not. It’s hard to tell, especially so early, at this point, only time will tell in one of two forms, blood and loss of the milky scent or a swollen belly and an undertone of another scent along with the milky smell. Soobin prays, _begs_ to the moon goddess that it’s not the first option. 

Taehyun enters again, holding a basket full of assorted berries. He sets them beside Yeonjun and sits on the other side, the one opposite of Soobin. “You look worried.” 

“How can I not be?” 

Taehyun sighs, “True.” 

“I’m also frustrated.” 

“Why?” 

“It’s just…” Soobin huffs out his frustration, “how come I couldn’t smell it on him earlier?”

“That’s just how his body works, it decided now was the time to make it known.” 

“But,” Soobin sighs and runs a hand through his hair, “...shouldn’t it take days before we know?” 

“It might’ve happened the first day, you guys were in the tent for a little while, enough days for his body to change.” 

Soobin shakes his head and groans, “I-I don’t understand this, he just-he just fought like nine wolves in this condition! What if it did damage to-” 

“I don’t think we can figure that out until he’s awake, Soobin.”

As if on cue, Yeonjun hums and clenches his eyes shut before blinking them open and looking at Soobin with hazy, tired eyes. Soobin can’t stop himself from smiling down at his mate, he’s so beautiful even when he’s just waking up. Unfortunately, that doesn’t erase the worry that’s deep seated inside his heart. 

“Yeonjunnie?” Soobin rests his hands against Yeonjun’s arm, “baby, my sweet mate, are you awake?” He looks half asleep, his eyelids keep fluttering downwards, but for the most part he’s managing to keep his eyes open. 

“Hi, Soo-Soobinnie,” the corner of Yeonjun’s lip tilts up in a small smile. His voice is low and raspy and rough, Soobin wishes to get him some water, but his mind is slightly preoccupied by an important question. 

“Did you know, Yeonjun?” Taehyun voices the question before Soobin can even form the words. 

Yeonjun looks over at Taehyun on his right and furrows his eyebrows together, “Know? Know what?” 

Soobin speaks this time, “Did you know you were pregnant?” 

Yeonjun processes the question. Soobin can see the gears turning, the words running through the machine that is Yeonjun’s mind. Then his eyes widen and he’s inching a hand to touch his stomach protectively. 

“I’m-what?” 

“You’re pregnant, Yeonjun.”  
  
“How-how long? Did I-?” Yeonjun gasps to himself, glancing down at his stomach, and his smell turns the slightest bit sour with his fear. 

Soobin knows what he’s going to say before Yeonjun finishes, “As far as we know, the baby is still okay. Only time will really tell. Do you remember any direct hits to your stomach?” 

Yeonjun stutters through his answer nervously, “N-No, I don’t.” 

  
“Does it hurt in that area? Like are you cramping or just have general pain there?” Taehyun asks this time.

“Not-Not specifically there, no,” Yeonjun glances down at his stomach worriedly. 

“Usually it’s easier to tell if you’ve had a miscarrage because the milky scent will fade away. We’ll have to monitor you for a couple days, see what happens. Another indication would be bleeding, if you see blood then you’ll know,” Taehyun sighs, his demeanor dampened at the prospect of a miscarriage. 

“But try not to stress yourself over this too much, for all we know, the baby could be completely fine. Only time will tell. If there weren’t any major blows to your abdomen, I believe you will be alright, Yeonjun, and you know I wouldn’t lie to you,” Taehyun grabs his hand and squeezes it gently, “I’ll give you two some alone time, I have to check up on some other wolves.” 

Taehyun leaves and Soobin turns his attention to Yeonjun, who is laying on his back, tears spilling over his eyes and stroking the sides of his face, puddling in the curve of his ears. He speaks up, his voice weak and saddened, breaking on the first word, “If we lose this baby...it’ll be all my fault.” 

“Don’t say that, Yeonjunnie, it’ll be okay,” Soobin says that but he’s terrified, scared of what might show in the next couple of days, “you didn’t know. No one did, I know that if you had known, you wouldn’t have even thought about doing it.” 

  
Yeonjun sniffles, brings up a hand to paw away the tears, “But...I should’ve known. My heat just ended yesterday and there wasn’t anything to stop it from happening, you came in me too many times for it not to happen,” light pink dusts his cheeks once he’s finished speaking. 

Soobin sighs in frustration, “Okay, so we both weren’t thinking, it happens, Yeonjun. We weren’t even thinking about having a baby, we are smarter than this, but it happens to everyone. We’ll be more careful in the future.” 

“I’m so scared, Soobinnie,” Yeonjun sobs out, bringing up his hands to block out his face, “I just killed our baby!” 

Soobin gently moves his hands away from his face and frowns, “Stop it, Yeonjun. I think the baby will be okay. You didn’t get hit in the stomach, so that in itself is a good sign. We have to remain optimistic and trust that it is our time to have this baby, okay? Can you do that for me, mate? Can you do that _with_ me?” 

Yeonjun takes his time answering the question, calms himself down a bit, still crying, but not nearly as hard a couple minutes ago, “I-I can...can do that.” 

“Good,” Soobin leans down and presses a kiss to Yeonjun’s pouting lips, “we can do this, together. I love you, Yeonjun, and I will love our pup once we are reassured that they are alive and well. We will get that reassurance, right?” 

“Right…” 

+++

Soobin lies awake, staring into the roof of the tent, a sleeping Yeonjun cuddled into his chest for a sense of safety and warmth. His mind won’t shut up, won’t allow him to rest. His wolf is anxious about the previous events and failure simmers warm in his chest at the prospect of losing his child. 

The need and urge to protect the child growing within Yeonjun has been overwhelming since the moment he figured out Yeonjun was pregnant. But he’s failed before he could even start. Yeonjun fought in that fight and it was rough, Yeonjun is physically exhausted and sore and even though he wasn’t hit in the stomach directly, because of the strain on his body, there’s still a higher risk for miscarriage. 

Soobin remembers when his mother told him and Kai about the miscarriage she had before giving birth to Soobin. It took a toll on her, mentally, physically, and affected his father as well, put him and her in a grieving state for quite a while. 

When they figured out Soobin was growing within her, they were fearful it would happen again, constantly on edge, constantly monitoring and being careful, more than careful. It was a reassurance when Soobin was born, then came along Kai, and yet again, they were cautious, overly cautious, his mother terrified that she would wake up one night and find herself submersed into a pool of blood. 

As far as he knows, they haven't even lost the child yet, but here he is, terrified that Yeonjun will wake up with blood leaking from his nether regions, that the milkiness of his smell will fade as easily and as suddenly as it came. 

Yeonjun stirs in his sleep, twitches his nose like a rabbit, his eyes moving back and forth behind his eyelids, then he falls silent and still, except for his eyes. He’s dreaming. Soobin wonders if it’s another nightmare, if he’ll get another sobbing Yeonjun to coddle and kiss and to comfort back to sleep. 

Now that Soobin thinks about it, Yeonjun hasn’t had as many nightmares. It’s less frequent than it used to be, but it still happens. Soobin worried so much when they first happened, not only because Yeonjun woke up scared or crying, but because Yeonjun has been terrorized and traumatized for so long. 

Soobin doesn’t undermine the power of Yeonjun’s nightmares, however, this is how Yeonjun’s mind and body has chosen to deal with the trauma and Soobin can’t change that even if he desperately wishes he could. All Soobin can do is be there for him when Yeonjun needs him, and that’s what he’ll always do, until the end of time or until Yeonjun wishes to get rid of him. 

Soobin watches Yeonjun a little bit longer, rakes his fingers through Yeonjun’s hair in an attempt to keep himself and Yeonjun calm, just in case. Yeonjun’s chest rises and falls, slowly, evenly, and curls closer to Soobin. 

Soobin hurts for Yeonjun and his child, wants to kiss away the pain, hold them both longer than eternity, protect them with every inch of his being. His heart gushes and clenches, fierce possessiveness and protectiveness flows through him while staring at Yeonjun with fond eyes, at Yeonjun and their _baby_. 

Everything, Soobin would do everything if that’s what it took to keep his mate and baby safe, happy, and loved. 

+++

Soobin is stirred when he feels the weight on his chest lifting. He forces his eyes open right as Yeonjun slips outside of the tent. He rubs his eyes quickly and sits up, attempting to shake off the sleepiness that wishes to drag him back down into unconsciousness. 

Instead, Soobin crawls out of the tent and stumbles to his feet clumsily, looking around while blinking his eyes hard to make the grogginess go away. He squints and scans the area outside of their tent. 

Yeonjun sits over by the body of water, staring up at the sky. Soobin ambles his way over quietly, but stops a fair distance away when he hears Yeonjun speaking out loud. 

“...I’m so sorry,” Yeonjun’s voice breaks, “that I did that to you, you’re _my_ baby and I-I…I almost hurt you for selfish reasons. I just want to know if you’re okay. I didn’t mean it, I promise. I already love you so much, but you might be...and it’s all because of me.” 

Soobin’s immediate instinct is to walk over and comfort his mate, but he hesitates. He wants to see what Yeonjun will say next, how he’ll handle his own words. 

“I don’t wanna cry,” Yeonjun brings an arm up and wipes his tears, “I don’t, so I’ll tell you some good things about life to convince you to stay.”

Soobin smiles at the words, he can’t help the tug of the corner of his lips, he’s stuck letting them spread and revealing his teeth as he watches Yeonjun’s interaction with the child situated in his belly. 

“Life is beautiful, not always nice, but always gorgeous. It surrounds you, the trees, bushes, animals, flowers, berries, humans, werewolves. If you decide to stay, I’ll make sure you have a good life, that you’ll be okay. You won’t live like me, you’ll live happy and loved and surrounded by good people,” Yeonjun pauses and rubs a hand over his flat belly. 

“Unfortunately, I’ll have to teach you about the bad things life gives too. Like the bad people, the mean wolves, the scary animals, the poisonous fruits and plants. They’re always beautiful, like the rivers, like the flowers, but they can hurt you. I’ll do my best to protect you, but to learn and grow, you’ll make mistakes, break rules, and get hurt, whether self-inflicted or not. It’ll happen.” 

“That’s what Soobin is for, he’ll help you back up no matter what, over and over again, he will save you and lift you back up and help you to your feet no matter what. Then, when you find a mate, they’ll take over for me and Soobin. By yourself and together with them, you will learn to grow and navigate life. And if you still need us sometimes, that’s okay, Soobin and I will always be there for you. Life is hard, but you will survive. I promise you, baby, all of it, if you just...stay.” 

Soobin walks forward carefully and seats himself carefully. Yeonjun turns his head, but his eyes hold no surprise, “Smelled me?” 

Yeonjun’s eyes shine with unshed tears but he smiles and whispers with a little nod, “Yeah.” 

“Well, just so you know, you drive a hard bargain. I think our pup will definitely stay after that speech,” Soobin smiles gently, glances down at Yeonjun’s stomach before staring back into his eyes with a fondness that paints his irises a darker brown. 

A tear slips down Yeonjun’s cheek, but his smile only grows wider, “I sure hope so.” 

Soobin scoots closer and wraps an arm around Yeonjun’s shoulders, Yeonjun leaning his head on Soobin’s shoulder as they stare out at the river, at the gleaming night sky, the wise and watchful moon, eyes of the protective moon goddess. “Whatever they decide, we’ll make it through, okay?” 

“Okay.”

“I love you, Yeonjunnie. I love you and our baby.” 

“...we love you too, Soobin, _so much_.” 


	2. Chapter 2

_ They are safe _ . Soobin has never felt more relieved in his life, his baby - no -  _ their  _ baby is okay. 

Soobin and Yeonjun still have a whole two and a half months until their pup is finally out of the womb and into their arms, but Soobin has a feeling that their pup, their small yet strong willed pup - like  _ someone _ Soobin knows - will survive no matter what. 

The changes aren’t as subtle anymore now that a couple weeks have gone by. Yeonjun’s cheeks have sufficiently plumped up and his belly has the slightest hint of a bulge curving outwards. Soobin absolutely loves it. 

Yeonjun...not so much. Morning sickness has hit him particularly hard, especially once the first week ended. It hasn’t stopped since. His stomach, thanks to their adorable - Soobin hasn’t seen them yet, but he knows that they’ll be the cutest baby ever, especially with Yeonjun as their parent - pup, is constantly empty so Soobin has not only done a lot more hunting, but he’s also been busy picking loads of berries for Yeonjun to snack on throughout the days. 

He’s also been more moody lately, so Soobin’s been doing his best to make sure his omega only ever feels loved, happy, and calm. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy when just about anything can set him off. 

Yeonjun hasn’t spoken to him all morning and Soobin has no idea why. 

“Yeonjunnie, my baby, what’s wrong? You know you can tell me anything,” Soobin tries to hold Yeonjun, but, as he’s done all morning, he keeps scooting away and dodging Soobin’s arms. 

There’s a spark of anger in Yeonjun’s eyes and he continually shoots a glare at Soobin, even though all Soobin has done this morning is wake up with Yeonjun in his arms, tell him he was going to get him some berries, and then come back with a now neglected bowl of fruit and an upset Yeonjun. 

“Come on, Yeonjun, don’t be like this, please,” Soobin sighs. Soobin has always been a patient person, he’s always been that way, he could wait out any situation, but it’s hard when his pregnant mate is the one he has to out wait. Yeonjun is stubborn; Soobin is just hoping he’ll come to his senses or at least get annoyed enough with him to tell him what he did wrong. 

Just then Yeonjun’s stomach rumbles, loudly. Soobin can’t help his small chuckle, “Someone’s hungry and it’s not just you, Yeonjun. You shouldn’t wait any longer.” 

Yeonjun huffs, but Soobin doesn’t miss the way he eyes the fruit basket he’s holding out to him. There’s another loud grumble and Yeonjun’s tough face melts into a sheepish one. He gives Soobin big, pleading puppy dog eyes and Soobin can’t do anything about it when it gets paired with a pout. 

Soobin laughs lightly, incredulously, “You’re adorable,” he scoots closer and closer until he’s about to touch Yeonjun. Yeonjun doesn’t move away this time, he sits still and waits for Soobin to get there. Soobin slides closer, is able to get behind Yeonjun, and cradles him in his arms. 

Yeonjun never ceases to amaze him though because now he’s opening his mouth, staring at Soobin with those eyes that say  _ feed me _ . 

So what does Soobin do? Simple. He feeds Yeonjun. 

Yeonjun smiles while eating out of Soobin’s hand, leaning back and resting against Soobin’s chest like he’s his own personal couch. But Soobin doesn’t mind, as long as Yeonjun is happy, he’s happy. 

“Are you ready to tell me why you were mad at me?” 

Yeonjun hums and finishes the handful of berries in his mouth, smacking a bit. “We were in the middle of cuddling and you left me.” 

“That’s it? That’s why you were mad at me?” 

“Yes, you left. Me and the puppy got cold,” Yeonjun leans forward and takes more of the offered berries. 

Soobin scoffs but places a hand on Yeonjun’s swelling belly, “If you’re this sensitive, I might not make it through this pregnancy.” Soobin snickers as Yeonjun pauses while taking a berry. 

He turns his head abruptly, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Yeonjun’s pouting at him with cheeks full of berries, some of the juice filling in the line between his lips. 

Soobin can’t help himself, he leans down and kisses his plush, petulant lips. He licks his lips after, tasting the sweetness from the berries, “It doesn’t mean anything, Yeonjunnie, I’m only joking.” 

“Don’t joke like that,” Yeonjun complains and finishes eating the berries in his mouth. 

“I’m sorry, baby,” Soobin kisses the side of his head and runs a hand through Yeonjun’s hair, scratching his nails lightly against his scalp. Yeonjun  _ purrs _ , his eyes close and his head tilts into Soobin’s hands. Soobin swears he heard him let out a small moan. 

With berries soaking his tongue, Yeonjun says, “I wanna shift.” 

“What?” Soobin found that very random. 

“I wanna shift into my wolf form,” Yeonjun announces more clearly. 

Soobin hums, “It’s not that safe, angel,” Soobin threads his fingers through his hair and tugs out a couple tangles. 

Yeonjun whines, “Can’t we ask Taehyun? Or Jimin? It might not be harmful if it’s earlier in the pregnancy.” 

Soobin hesitates with his answer, “Yeonjun, I’d rather not risk it. I mean, we had a scare about whether you were still pregnant not that long ago. Shouldn’t we be more cautious?” 

Yeonjun deflates, “Yeah...you’re right.” 

Soobin feels something settle in his chest, it’s not friendly, twists his insides painfully, makes his heart clench and gush in agony. Denying Yeonjun of something that he wants, something he’s strong enough to voice, something that connects him more to his heritage, to his parents, to his own heart doesn’t sit well with Soobin. But he has to do it, they can’t risk anything happening to their pup, especially after the whole fighting incident. 

Soobin snaps out of his reverie of thoughts when Yeonjun turns to him with a confused look on his face. “What are you thinking about?” 

“How I wish I could give you everything…” Soobin pets back some of Yeonjun’s hair. 

Yeonjun frowns, “You don’t have to give me everything. I don’t want everything, I just want you and what you have to give me. I don’t need everything. I can’t shift right now, sure, that’s a bummer, but if it means our little puppy is safe and sound, then that’s that. We have to sacrifice for our child and that’s okay. All I want, all I  _ need _ are you and this baby. As long as I have you both, I’m set for life.” 

Soobin can’t help himself, he surges forward and kisses Yeonjun, cups his cheek gently, so gently because he doesn’t want to break him nor does he want to be rough with him. He doesn’t mind the sweet taste of berries, so he delves deeper, searches for the pure taste of his mate, the pure taste of _Yeonjun_. 

When he pulls back, he takes a moment to admire Yeonjun’s face. His lips are slightly puffy, red stains his cheeks, a stark contrast against his pale skin - eyes flitting beneath his fluttering eyelashes, mind lost in the after haze of the intoxicating kiss, and mouth ajar as small puffs push past the pillowy entrance. 

_ He’s beautiful _ , Soobin thinks to himself, almost afraid to speak the words aloud, like a secret he must keep for the betterment of his life. 

“Yeonjun,” Soobin mutters against his lips, “I don’t think you realize how much you mean to me, how much you  _ both _ mean to me.” 

“Soobinnie,” Yeonjun replies, pecks his lips once more, “I don’t think  _ you _ realize how much you mean to us.” 

Soobin chuckles and, after planting one more firm kiss on his temple, pulls Yeonjun in for a tight hug, their lower bodies just far enough so that Soobin doesn’t squeeze the baby bump even though their baby is very much a part of the hug as well. 

They stay there, holding each other, Soobin’s heater of a body transferring a comforting warmth to Yeonjun and their baby. 

“As much as I love this hug, I’m really craving meat right now, can you go catch me a squirrel, please?” 

Soobin laughs and does as he’s told. 

+++

They sit at the river. It had rained the night before, raising the tide and renewing the air, which made it a good day to get outside. The sky was crowded with light gray clouds that overwhelmed the sun and its light. A peaceful quiet spread through the landscape, the camp wasn’t as lively today, though everyone was still outside, taking in the fresh air and witnessing the flourishing of the freshly watered plants. 

Soobin came out with Yeonjun and eventually they grew into a group of people. Beomgyu and Taehyun came with Hyejin, they had been taking a stroll through the forest when they saw them and decided to join. Then Huening Kai, who was looking to tell Soobin something, said he would stay after relaying the news to Soobin that their parents wanted to have dinner with him and Yeonjun. After Hyuka, they were joined by Miyeon and Taehyung, who had also been enjoying the day when they spotted the group. 

Now here they are, an animated group of people sitting and chatting. Yeonjun rests between Soobin’s legs, reclining against his chest, Huening Kai sitting cross legged beside them. Miyeon is crouching between Yeonjun’s legs, inspecting his baby bump with awe and rubbing it every now and then. Taehyun is sitting behind his daughter, Hyejin bouncing in excitement where she’s sitting while she pulls out handfuls of grass like she’s the destroyer of the new world. Beomgyu speaks with Taehyung, beside Taehyun, about something to do with the guard and Taehyung’s alpha mate - the last two completing the circle. 

“Oh my gosh, Yeonjunnie, your belly is so soft!” Miyeon squeals and continues to rub her hand over Yeonjun’s tummy. 

Soobin looks down at his mate with an amused smirk that only grows when he sees the light blush painting over Yeonjun’s plump cheeks. “Someone’s embarrassed,” he teases, nuzzles his nose into a stained cheek. 

Yeonjun ignores his comment and shakes Soobin off the slightest bit. “Um, thank you, Miyeon.” 

“So, how does the baby get in here?” Miyeon asks, pokes at his stomach gently, eyes owl-wide and head tilted curiously. 

Soobin has to cough through a laugh to hide it, but Yeonjun catches it and elbows him in the ribs, not hard, but rough enough to cause some pain. “Well, sweetheart,” Yeonjun starts with a soft, unsure tone, clearing his throat to buy him a second to think, “well, um, the baby is put in there...by the moon goddess! Yep! By the moon goddess herself, she just decides when it’s your time, you know, once you have a mate and all and boom, you’re pregnant.” 

Miyeon makes a face. “You don’t get to choose?” 

“Why do you keep asking questions,” Yeonjun mutters under his breath, low enough so Miyeon can’t hear him. He then decides to respond with, “Usually by the time the moon goddess gives them the baby, they’re already hoping and wishing and praying for one. Right, Soobin?”

Soobin is taken by surprise with the sudden shift in attention, both Miyeon and Yeonjun looking at him. “Uh,” Soobin chuckles sheepishly, “yeah, yeah, sure. We were just... _ so _ excited when Taehyun had his baby that we just couldn’t help but... _ pray _ ,  _ beg _ the moon goddess for a child of our very own. And that’s how we ended up with our own little pup,” Soobin glances down at the smooth surface of Yeonjun’s curved belly and then he rubs his hands over the surface, patting gently. 

“Awe,” Miyeon exclaims and pets Yeonjun’s stomach again, small hand ginger in it’s actions. “Can I have a baby too?” 

Soobin’s eyes widen and when he catches a glimpse of Yeonjun’s face, he sees that his eyes are just about to fall out of his head. With a voice pitched the slightest bit higher, “Well, Miyeon, you’re gonna need a mate first and you also have to be much older.” 

The child-like innocence shimmering in Miyeon’s eyes dims, “What if I want one now?” She pouts, her voice whiny. 

“Sorry, Miyeon, the moon goddess has rules.” 

“Rules are stupid, I’m not even getting a mate!” Miyeon grumbles under her breath with her lips still pouting, but she drops the subject and continues her careful touches on Yeonjun’s tummy. 

Soobin caresses Yeonjun’s side softly, pressing sporadic kisses onto his head, in his hair, on his temple, on his cheek, his hair line, anywhere Soobin can reach. Suddenly, there’s a little knot in his chest, but it’s the ghost of it, not the actual knot, then there’s a tug in his chest and mind, his wolf whines to him,  _ something’s wrong with Yeonjun _ . 

“Hey,” Soobin starts softly, bringing his other hand around and pushing some of the hair on his face, “Yeonjunnie, look at me, baby, look at me.” Yeonjun listens, turns his face so they’re staring at each other. 

He sees it then, the paleness of Yeonjun’s face, the worry in his eyes, the gears turning in his head as a subtle panic creeps into his irises. The tug is there again, his alpha growling at him internally to do something,  _ anything _ .

“Tell me what’s wrong,” he leans forward, puts their foreheads together, “tell alpha what’s wrong, Yeonjunnie.” 

Yeonjun takes a shaky breath, “I-I don’t know, I just...feel nauseous and-and anxious, I-I can’t-” 

“Shh…” Soobin shushes, one hand playing with the hair on his nape while the other strokes gently at Yeonjun’s pale cheek, wetness from the cold sweat clinging to his skin. “It’s okay, mate, lets try to calm down.”

“Everything okay over there?” Taehyun asks, bouncing Hyejin on her feet with concerned eyes fixated on Yeonjun. 

Soobin tries to pull away for a second, but Yeonjun whimpers and shakes his head. “No…” he protests lightly. 

“Give me one second so I can talk to him, Yeonjunnie,” Soobin whispers, presses a kiss to Yeonjun’s forehead and then guides Yeonjun’s face to the scent gland at the base of his neck. The smell should help him. 

Yeonjun nuzzles into his neck, adjusting his body so he can wrap his arms around Soobin’s waist. Soobin pets the back of his hair then turns his attention to the rest of the group that are staring at them, mostly Yeonjun with slightly uneasy expressions. 

“He’s feeling nauseous and anxious,” Soobin tells them, “he should be okay in a bit.” 

“Oh my goddess, I  _ hated _ those episodes when I was pregnant. But they’re totally normal, just something he has to suffer through a bit,” Taehyun replies, pulling Hyejin closer to his chest. “Do you think holding Hyejin would help? When I was in my earlier stages of pregnancy, sometimes it would help to be around children.” 

“Do you wanna try holding Hyejin, Yeonjun?” 

His response is muffled by Soobin’s shoulder. Soobin chuckles and cups the side of Yeonjun’s face. “Silly boy, I can’t hear you.” He whispers to him rather intimately. 

Yeonjun’s cheeks blaze from the nickname but he turns his face to Soobin and nods his head against his skin. “I’ll give it a try.” 

Taehyun picks her up and she squirms and wiggles while he’s fitting her in Yeonjun’s arms. Yeonjun cradles her and Hyejin immediately calms down, giggling and outreaching her hands towards him. 

“Hi there, baby girl,” Yeonjun whispers to her and Soobin can already see the color returning to his face, though he’s not sure if the nausea is completely gone or not. Hyejin giggles harder and blushes like she understands what Yeonjun said, babbles her reply and laughs once more when Yeonjun lets her grab onto his hand with a tight grip. 

It settles Soobin and his wolf. 

_ You’re going to be a great parent to our pup _ . They don’t use it often, but Soobin can’t help sending the words through their mindlink, watches Yeonjun’s eyes glaze over as he receives it, then looks up at Soobin with a small smile. 

_ Stop _ , the words are whined internally and Soobin chuckles,  _ you should be saying this when we’re alone _ . 

_ Where is more isolated than our minds?  _ Soobin questions, smirking at Yeonjun. 

Yeonjun scoffs and turns his attention to Hyejin, mindlessly wiggling his fingers in front of her, replying to Soobin,  _ It’s sweeter when you say it out loud, save it for the tent. _

_ What do humans say again? Oh yeah, there’s no time like the present. _

_ I’m ignoring you now _ . Yeonjun rolls his eyes but they’re lighter, happier, and the small smile is stretching wider on his lips by the second. 

Soobin would kill if that’s what it took to make Yeonjun smile. 

+++

It’s been a pretty mellow day and Soobin is thankful for it since it made it easier for both of them to wind down. Yeonjun is snuggled into him, having burrowed himself in his chest after using the extra animal skins from Taehyung to make a cushier nest. He looks content and peaceful in his sleep, Soobin loves when Yeonjun is like this. 

Yeonjun is curled on his side and it shows the perfect curves of his belly. Soobin takes the opportunity to have some alone time with their pup. Slowly and cautiously, Soobin lays a hand on Yeonjun’s swollen tummy and caresses his thumb over it, smiling at the firmed skin protecting their pup. 

“Hello there, little one,” Soobin whispers then ponders on what to talk about. “Ah! I know, I’ll talk about Yeonjunnie, my mate and your soon to be mother. I’m gonna get you to call him that so he’ll accept the idea.” 

Soobin chuckles to himself quietly, his eyes shifting from Yeonjun’s belly to his tranquil face. “Your mama is the most beautiful wolf I’ve ever laid my eyes on. But not only in the physical sense, he’s got a gorgeous soul as well. He is...strong, very, very strong, probably the strongest wolf I’ll ever know. 

“He’ll be even deadlier the moment you’re out of there. Of course, I’ll be the same way, if anything happens to you...nevermind, nothing is going to happen to you because Yeonjun and I will protect you, until our very last breath, pup.” Soobin pauses and rubs his whole hand over the side to the top of Yeonjun’s stomach, his hand covering Yeonjun’s belly button. 

“I love you so much already, and I know that Yeonjun does too. I remember the moment I found out about you, there was just a shift, I felt it. I’ve never been one to be irresponsible or impatient, but there’s a different feeling when you figure out you’re expecting. You’re uncle Beomgyu told me about it once, described it exactly the way it felt. I wonder what it’ll feel like when you’re born, if it’ll change or get stronger. I guess I’ll have to wait and see.” 

Yeonjun shifts slightly, his lashes fluttering in place. He doesn’t wake, thankfully, because Soobin knows he would have to deal with a grouchy Yeonjun and then he’d have to cuddle him close and pamper him even more just to get him back to sleep. 

“I love…” Yeonjun mumbles in his sleep, “shush...sleeping...puppy…”

Soobin smiles at his mate, loves that this is the first time Yeonjun has ever spoken in his sleep about something good. Soobin has never been able to tell, but he’s glad Yeonjun’s having more positive dreams instead of the ugly memories that would spook him awake in the middle of the night. 

“Do you hear that, pup?” Soobin mutters, staring at Yeonjun’s belly almost as if he can see their growing pup. “He’s dreaming about you.” 

“Mine...my-my puppy…” Yeonjun snuggles closer to Soobin, digs his head further into Soobin’s chest, his nose situated near his collar bone. “...love...puppy…”

“As you can see, Yeonjunnie loves you as much as I do.” Soobin sighs with a subtle warmth in his chest, closes his eyes and lets his hand rest on Yeonjun’s stomach. “Good night, my little pup.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a fluffy chapter, i really wanted to get this one out asap bc i finished it sooner than anticipated so here it is!   
> thank you for reading <3 have a good day/night/morning/evening !!


	3. Chapter 3

Soobin kisses Yeonjun to placate his nerves, a rapid succession of quick pecks against his plushy lips because he really can’t think of anything else to do that will help Yeonjun. They’re only going to dinner with his parents. Yes, he expected some nervousness from his mate, but this is a bit too much. 

“Baby, calm down.” Soobin rubs his thumbs over Yeonjun’s cheeks worriedly. “Yeonjun, if this is too much to handle, if this could hurt our pup, then I don’t want to do it. We can have dinner with my parents another time, preferably after our pup is born-”

“No!” Yeonjun is quick to deny. “I can’t give them another reason to not like me.”

“Why would they don’t like you in the first place, Yeonjunnie? I’ve loved you ever since you got here.” 

“You also seem to forget that when I got here, I was not only trying to kill your little brother, but you, your entire family, and the whole goddamn pack, so you tell me, why wouldn’t they like me?” Yeonjun glares at Soobin. Soobin is sheepish because yeah, he didn’t really think that part through. 

Soobin runs a hand through his hair. “Do you wanna know what I think, Yeonjunnie?” 

Yeonjun’s glare melts into a pout with big puppy dog eyes staring back at him. “What?” 

“I think,” Soobin scoots closer and places a hand on Yeonjun’s protruding belly, “my parents will put aside their previous judgements and get to know you for you. I don’t think dinner would be taking place if they didn’t like you or at least didn’t want to try. You’re different from how you were, you are physical proof that you have changed and grown. I think it’ll all be okay and everything will be fine. We’ll be okay, but most importantly, you’ll be okay. Alright, my gorgeous Yeonjunnie?”

Yeonjun whines and leans into the hand that’s still cupping his face. “Why are you so good at that?” 

Soobin chuckles and presses a kiss to Yeonjun’s forehead. “So good at what?” 

“Why are you so good at calming me down?” Yeonjun snuggles into Soobin’s hand and kisses whatever digit he can reach lovingly. 

“Because we’re meant for each other. It’s in my job description as your mate.” Soobin jokes and begins ushering Yeonjun out of their tent so they can start heading over to his parents' tent. 

Yeonjun crawls out of the tent and once he’s standing, after a little bit of a struggle and Soobin helping him up, Soobin notices that his hand is rubbing over his tummy and staring at the other end of the camp where his family’s tent is. 

“I already told you, Yeonjun, if this is too much stress for you, we don’t have to. They’ll understand. My mother wouldn’t want to risk our pup’s health.” Soobin says, grabbing Yeonjun’s unoccupied hands. 

“Me and our puppy will be fine, I promise. Let’s just…” Yeonjun glances over there once more, “...get this over with.” 

“Okay,” Soobin presses a kiss to Yeonjun’s forehead again and tugs him along so they can get there. 

If he’s being completely honest with himself, Soobin is nervous as well. Soobin’s father is a bit of a...typical alpha male; opinionated, stubborn, not easily forgiving, intimidating, dominating, traditional, all of the attributes that Yeonjun doesn’t need to see nor experience during this time. His mother has always been able to keep him in check though, despite being an omega, and keep him calm when necessary...maybe Yeonjun’s nerves are well placed after all.

“There’s something I should warn you about before we get there,” Soobin thinks it’s only fair Yeonjun knows beforehand though he probably should’ve told him sooner than right before. 

“What is it? Is it bad?” Yeonjun asks worriedly. 

Soobin makes a face at the worry etched across Yeonjun’s face. “It’s just…my father is the traditional kind of alpha, he’s…” Soobin sighs, “he’s hard to deal with sometimes, but my mother is really nice and she’ll make sure he’s on his best behavior.” 

Yeonjun grimaces. “Yikes. That...doesn’t make this easier.” 

“Don’t worry too much, my mom is good at keeping him in check, I’m sure everything will turn out just fine, mate. I’ll make sure he stays in line, I won’t let anything happen, okay?” Soobin moves closer and places a hand on the small of his back. 

“Okay.” Yeonjun is still rubbing his stomach, but he seems a bit less worried. 

Soobin doesn’t think this is a good idea anymore. But they’re already there before Soobin can turn them around and cancel with his parents. Here goes nothing. 

“Oh! Soobin!” His mother calls, waving the pair over and getting up. She rushes to them with a bright, beaming smile. “And you are Yeonjun, oh my gosh! How beautiful!” 

Yeonjun is turning red even in the light of the setting sun. “Th-thank you. Um, it’s so nice to meet you…” 

“Call me Seonji, dear. It’s nice to meet you as well. Please, both of you, come join us, we’ve been expecting you.” Seonji gestures to the patches of grass around the fire that’s roasting what looks like a fat rabbit. 

Soobin sits down and helps Yeonjun down after, making sure he’s comfortable when he does. Huening Kai smiles and waves at them. Soobin’s father isn’t as warm and inviting.

His arms are crossed and he’s eyeing Yeonjun suspiciously, Yeonjun squirming underneath the gaze. “Oh, Kwangmin, stop doing that.” Seonji swats Kwangmin’s shoulder and he listens thankfully.

“Yeonjun, sweetie, you are positively glowing,” Seonji continues to compliment his mate. Soobin absolutely loves it because Yeonjun is blushing from head to toe at the compliments. “You look so good, how far along are you?” 

“Um, thank you, I’m at least three and a half weeks, it should be a month in a couple days.” Yeonjun answers with a sheepish smile on his face. 

“Oh how absolutely delightful!” She smiles happily and claps her hands. “Trust me, the time will fly by and soon enough you’ll have a little bundle of joy in your arms. Dear moon goddess, I can’t wait! Your pup will be absolutely gorgeous, it doesn’t help that you’re so undeniably pretty.” Seonji continues to praise and go off about how excited she is and how handsome and beautiful Soobin’s mate is. He won’t stop her, no way, she’s totally right, Yeonjun deserves all the compliments, it actually makes Soobin wonder if he’s been giving Yeonjun enough. 

Once Seonji is distracted with getting the rabbit from over the fire, Soobin watches Yeonjun try to introduce himself to his father. 

“Um, hello, sir, I-I’m Yeonjun. It’s so nice to-“ he’s rudely cut off. 

“I know who you are,” Soobin’s father says, face straight and eyes attempting not to glare. Soobin keeps an eye on him, he’s not sure what his father is thinking or how he might act. 

“Right,” Soobin heard Yeonjun’s audible gulp, “right, s-sorry.”

Seonji, once more, swats and glares at her mate. “Stop.” She warns and returns to her job of checking if the food is fully done. 

“Um, what is your job in the pack, sir?...If you don’t mind me asking,” Yeonjun is quick to add the last part and Soobin commends him for trying over their mind link.

“Hmm, well, my job is to go out every once in a while and negotiate with other packs if needed. We make treaties, pacts with them, usually to stop people that attempt to harm the pack. You made my job harder, seeing as you used to be one of those people.” It’s a direct jab at Yeonjun and it pulls a growl from Soobin, a warning from his inner alpha wolf. 

With sharp eyes, Soobin’s father glares at him, “Growl at me again, boy.” He dares with a growl of his own. 

It’s unfair how dominant his father’s alpha is, he completely overpowers Soobin’s alpha, forces him to submit and Soobin hates how weak he is when his mate needs his protection. He shuts up automatically, looks away with his head down. 

Yeonjun grabs his mate's hand and squeezes it, smiling at him once Soobin looks up. “It’s okay, Soobinnie.” Then Yeonjun turns to Soobin’s father. “Yeah, I suppose I did do that, but as you said, I used to be like that, I’m not like that anymore. I’ve changed,” Yeonjun replies politely. 

“Did you change before or after you tried to kill my youngest? Our whole pack? As far as I’ve seen-”

“How much have you seen, sir? Because, if I recall correctly, I’ve done nothing but prove myself to this pack. I’ve been working hard to fit in and almost died because someone in  _ our _ pack tried to frame me, so please sir, give me a chance to prove myself to you. That’s all I ask,” Yeonjun smiles at him politely and then turns back to Seonji.

Seonji beams at Yeonjun, “Oh, Soobinnie, I love him.” 

Soobin glances at his mate and catches him rubbing his belly to relieve stress. It had become a habit Yeonjun picked up when his belly started bulging out the slightest bit, eventually adapting into a way to calm himself down. 

Soobin felt bad because Yeonjun didn’t deserve this and he couldn’t protect him well. He should be doing better but he isn’t, he’s letting his father take over like he always does because he’s always been more dominant than most alpha wolves. 

“Tell me honestly, I want no lies, how have you been holding up ever since all that nonsense went on?” Seonji inquires and fixes the rabbit higher above the fire to let it cook a little more but slower. 

“Um, well, it was hard, especially since Soobin was in that coma. Now, it’s better, I think more of the pack is opening up and including me. I’ve also got a great group of friends, Beomgyu, Taehyun, Hyuka right there, and Taehyung.” Yeonjun replies with a small smile. 

“Oh, I’m so glad to hear that. I’ll be 100% transparent, when we heard what was going on, I was suspicious of you. We visited Soobin while he was in the coma when you weren’t there, we purposely avoided you. But I see that, although we were being cautious, that we too, as fellow pack members, had misjudged you, Yeonjun.” Seonji admits to him, her expression contorted the slightest bit shamefully. “I’ve decided to make it up to you by being open with you and giving you the chance you deserve. You’ve proved yourself and I see how strong you are as an omega; if you don’t mind, I would love to get to know you.” 

Yeonjun’s smile grows wider, “I would love that, Seonji. Thank you for being honest with me.”

“Of course! And if you ever need anything, come to me and I’ll do my best to help you. I mean, you’re absolutely gorgeous, with your perfectly round belly, how I wish that my belly had been as well shaped.” Seonji continues to rant, checking the rabbit once more. 

“I bet it was, Seonji. I’m just glad that my puppy is healthy and growing. Although I would like them to hurry up a bit, this morning sickness is no joke and not at all during the morning,” Yeonjun jests playfully and Seonji, Soobin, and Hyuka laugh along. 

Once the laughter dies down, Seonji announces that the food is done and everyone can get a piece. Soobin’s mother starts tearing into it and even Soobin goes for some, but when Huening Kai, ever the kind soul, holds some out for Yeonjun to take, the “good piece” in his opinion, Yeonjun gags and covers his mouth and nose immediately. 

Kwangmin rages. “All this kindness my mate has shown you and you disrespect her like this by rejecting her food she made specifically for you?” 

Yeonjun attempts to stutter an apology, but Soobin is having none of it. He growls at his father viciously, eyes turning a blazing red, matching the fire light, and hisses as he speaks. “He’s pregnant! He doesn’t have any control over it!”

Kwangmin snaps back, eyes flipping to the same red and a low, dominating growl emitting from his chest. Involuntarily, Yeonjun puts his head down, Huening Kai flinches and Seonji has to stop herself from tilting her head to the side to bare her neck. “What was that, boy?” 

“I said, he’s pregnant. My mate can’t choose which smells make him nauseous, so back off! You’re just looking for something to make him look bad, but say anything like that to him again, and you’ll regret it!” Soobin threatens his father, growling even more ferociously, Yeonjun and his mother flinching as well. 

Kwangmin moves to get up in Soobin’s face, but Seonji stops him. “Alpha, please, it’s only a rabbit. Please, back down, there’s no need for this.”    
  


Soobin feels someone grab his hand and he turns his eyes to Yeonjun. Immediately, he calms down, his wolf slow to follow, but eventually getting there. He grips Yeonjun’s hand in his, squeezing it comfortingly. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.” But Yeonjun only shakes his head, opens his mouth to reply, but is interrupted by Soobin’s father. 

Kwangmin growls at Seonji, “Why should I let him get away with disrespecting me, omega?” Soobin sees Huening Kai flinch in sympathy for his mother, his father having used the title rather insultingly. 

But Seonji doesn’t let it affect her, or doesn’t show it at least. “Is it disrespectful if you’re wrong? Think about it this way, Kwangmin, he is our guest and usually, when we have guests, even ones you don’t like, you are polite and hold your tongue. What makes Yeonjun different? The fact that he’s an omega? A pregnant omega at that, one that’s more vulnerable to negative feedback?

  
“Imagine if it were me while I was pregnant with Soobin or Kai, if someone spoke to me like that, you wouldn’t tolerate it, you would stand up for me because I am your mate and it’s only right. I’m surprised he’s even sitting here with us because your behavior is honestly mortifying and embarrassing-” 

“He’s different! He’s not one of us! He tried to kill our pack, our sons, us!” Kwangmin argues, eyes still blazing with red.

“Tried, and didn’t succeed. And then he changed for the better. It doesn’t erase what he’s done before us, but that’s exactly it, it was before us. It’s his past, not ours, we weren’t there. Now he’s with us, he’s a good wolf and frankly, he’s a darn good mate since Soobin looks utterly content with him and their pup.” Seonji says, then sighs a rough breath. “I want you to go in the tent and reflect on what you’ve done, we’ll talk after.” 

“Who are you to command me, omega?” Soobin’s father questions but Soobin can see the way his anger lessens and his eyes begin dimming back to their natural brown color.

“ _ Your _ omega and I am here to put you in your place when I need to. Now listen to me, Kwangmin, we’ll wrap this up soon and we will talk.” Seonji leans forward and leaves a kiss on his cheek. 

Kwangmin deflates and listens to Seonji. Soobin’s mother has always had a good handle on Soobin’s father, so much so that Soobin can’t really think of a time when he’s seen his father this out of control. It’s interesting, the way they interact, the way that, despite second gender, Seonji’s the one in control when it needs to be like this. 

Kwangmin goes into the tent without another word and Seonji turns back to everyone with a soft smile. “Eat up, children, and Yeonjun, I will fetch that basket of fruit I got just in case you didn’t want meat.”

“Oh, you don’t have to, I can...eat this, it’s fine.” 

“Not if you can’t keep it down, if the pup doesn’t want meat at the moment, then they don’t want meat and that’s totally understandable and fine. I have fruit for you, give me a second.” Seonji crawls over to the tent opening, peaks inside and grabs something before coming back over to them. “Here you go.”    
  


Yeonjun takes the basket of fruit and smiles gratefully. “Thank you so much, Seonji, I appreciate it.” 

“Of course, dear. Enjoy.” Seonji smiles and tears into her own piece of rabbit. 

They eat in silence mostly, all of them too busy eating to really converse. Dinner is over quickly and Huening Kai dismisses himself right after, rubbing Yeonjun’s belly softly and then waving to them with a “good night” before going into the tent. 

“Um, if you don’t mind, I would like to walk you to your tent. Is that okay?” 

“Of course, Seonji, I would love that.” Yeonjun replies, smiling at her. 

Seonji puts out the fire first and then gestures for the two to get up along with her. The trio head to Soobin and Yeonjun’s tent in silence, it’s not awkward, but it isn’t completely comfortable either. There’s a lot on their minds, Soobin can feel it through his mind link with Yeonjun and he can sense it from his mother. 

When they stop in front of their tent, Seonji speaks first. “I wanted to apologize to you both. Kwangmin, he should’ve never acted the way he did tonight. He’s usually better than this, but he didn’t show it tonight.” 

“It-it’s fine, really-” 

“No,” Seonji smiles at Yeonjun sweetly and steps closer, taking him into her arms and embracing him while minding his baby bump, “it’s not fine. I will talk to him about apologizing to you properly, Yeonjun. You don’t deserve that, not after everything you’ve been through.” 

Soobin watches their interaction, how Yeonjun hesitates before hugging Seonji tightly, indulging in it with a rather pained look on his face. Soobin will have to ask about that later. 

Seonji pulls away with a hum, gently lays a flat palm on his swelling stomach. “Your pup is going to be beautiful.” She sighs and releases Yeonjun, then turns to her son. “Oh, my eldest pup.” 

Soobin opens his arms and embraces his mother, hugging her tightly. He relaxes in the warmth of her arms and rests his cheek against her shoulder, despite the discomfort with her being shorter than him. “Thank you, mom.” 

“Of course, it was delightful getting to meet Yeonjun. I’m so glad I got to see you again. I’m gonna need you two to visit more often, especially after the pup is born. I need to see my grand baby, okay, Soobin?” Seonji rubs his back gently and presses a kiss to his cheek. 

“Okay, we’ll come over more, but you need to talk with dad. I won’t let him talk to Yeonjunnie like that, he doesn’t need that kind of stress.” Soobin pulls back and rests his forehead against Seonji’s. 

Seonji nods and strokes the top of his head gingerly. “Yes, I will. I’ll get him to apologize to both of you. I love you, my son, I do and so does your father. He just has too much pride, his wolf is delusional like that. I’ll have him come around tomorrow so he can properly apologize to you and your mate.” 

“Thank you,” Soobin pulls back and kisses her forehead, “and thank you again for dinner. It was good seeing you again.” 

“Yes, you too, my boy. I’ll be around so don’t be a stranger, you know your little brother misses you too,” Seonji pats his shoulders gently and then completely pulls back. 

“Okay, bye, mama,” Soobin smiles and waves at her. 

Seonji waves back, “Bye, Soobin, Yeonjun.” Then she’s gone. 

Yeonjun gets down and crawls into the tent, Soobin close behind him. Yeonjun lays on his back, body spread out on the furs, one hand on his stomach, another reaching out for Soobin. Soobin holds it and kisses the back of it. “I’m sorry, mate.” 

Yeonjun’s face contorts. “Why are you apologizing, Soobinnie? You didn’t do anything wrong.” 

“No, but I was weak and I let my father talk to you like that when he shouldn’t have.” Soobin feels his words weighing on him. 

“What are you talking about, Soobin? You stood up for me, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Yeonjun tries to get up and struggles, so Soobin helps him, lifts him effortlessly and pulls him into his lap. 

“But I...I should’ve been stronger for you, baby. You’re pregnant, you don’t need the additional stress of someone yelling at you for no reason.” Soobin puts his hands on his waist while Yeonjun crosses his legs behind Soobin’s back, his arms going around Soobin’s neck. 

“Soobin, my lovely Soobinnie, my alpha, why are you doubting yourself?” Yeonjun leans forward and kisses Soobin sweetly. “You did more than enough. He’s a very dominant alpha, it’s harder to get them to back down. He’s prejudiced, yes, but I’m used to it.” 

Soobin kisses him back but shakes his head. “My beautiful omega, you deserve so much more, so much better than I can give you.”    
  


“Are you insinuating you’re not enough for me?” Yeonjun pulls back, appalled at Soobin’s words. 

“I mean-” 

“Don’t you ever and I mean  _ ever _ say that again,” Yeonjun’s face is solemn but his eyes are serious, dead serious. “You are more than enough for me, more than I deserve, you and our puppy are more than I deserve if we’re gonna talk about who deserves what.” 

“Yeonjun-” 

“Promise me!” Yeonjun pouts intensely, glaring at him. “Promise me that you won’t say that about yourself.”

Soobin sighs, but kisses Yeonjun, pressing his lips into Yeonjun’s delicately plump ones. “Okay, baby, I promise.” 

“Our puppy doesn’t need you doubting yourself.” Yeonjun murmurs into his mouth, kisses him once more. “You are strong and more than enough. I know you would give your life for me and this child, I know you would stand up for us if we needed it. The same goes for me. That’s all we got and that’s all we need, Soobin.”

“I believe you. You’re so sweet, Yeonjunnie, so beautiful.” Soobin can’t help reminding him, bringing up a hand to cup his cheek while the other slides into his hair. 

Yeonjun smiles widely. He looks down then, at his stomach, and gently pats the side as he says, “You don’t like daddy talking like that, do you? Yeah, neither do I.” Yeonjun looks back up at him. “Puppy and I agreed, you can’t talk like that no more.” 

Soobin loves when Yeonjun’s like this. His voice is soft, has a whiny edge to it and an almost baby-like tone. It’s utterly adorable. He knows it’ll be even more adorable once their pup is born. “I already promised that I wouldn’t talk like that again.” 

“Well puppy wasn’t a part of that conversation, so we’re including them in this one to make  _ sure _ you keep your promise. Puppy and I will hold you to it.” Yeonjun shows Soobin his pinky and curls it quickly before straightening it out again. “Come on, Soobinnie. This makes it more official. Puppy is watching.” 

Soobin nods and pulls his hand from Yeonjun’s hair so he can lock their pinkies together. “I promise.” 

“Good.” Yeonjun grins once more before letting out a big yawn, one that scrunches up his whole face. “Let’s go to sleep, yeah? Me and puppy are tired.” 

“I bet you are. It’s been a long day and night for all three of us. Uncross your legs from behind my back, I’ll position us.” Soobin taps the side of his leg and Yeonjun listens, doing just as he was told. 

Soobin repositions them so Yeonjun is on his back and Soobin is curling around him and the baby protectively, wrapping an arm over his baby bump and on his waist possessively. “Good night, my sweet mate. Good night, my little pup.” 

“Good night, Soobinnie,” Soobin hears Yeonjun mumble before easily drifting off to sleep.

+++

Soobin is suddenly awoken by cries, startling awake to find his mate isn’t under him anymore. He looks around, frantic, panicked, until he spots Yeonjun curled up in a ball near the edge of the tent. Soobin scrambles up and crawls over to him. “Yeonjun?”

Yeonjun flinches and curls into himself further, tucking his knees into his chest without pressing on the baby bump. He continues to cry and mumble inaudible words. 

“Yeonjunnie, my love, my mate, it’s only me, it’s Soobin.” Soobin scoots closer cautiously. 

Yeonjun observes Soobin for a moment until he finally  _ sees _ him, until he recognizes that it’s his mate. He reaches his arms out and Soobin is quick to pick him up and tug him into his lap, pulling him close and hugging him. Only then can he actually make out what Yeonjun has been muttering to himself. 

“The rules...I have to...I have to follow the rules, they’re gonna kill me! Rules, I can’t mess them up, Soobinnie, if I mess them up I’m dead, I’m dead.” Yeonjun squabbles mindlessly, his nails digging into Soobin’s back. 

It hurts but he blocks it out. Yeonjun is more important. “Baby, you’re not there anymore. No more rules, they won’t kill you, they won’t hurt you. I won’t let them hurt you. My Yeonjunnie, no one will ever hurt you again.” 

“They’re gonna kill me, I-I have to do it, I’m sorry, I killed them, it’s my fault. I’m gonna be punished, I don’t wanna be punished, I did what they said, why are they hurting me?” The cries are quaking, full of unadulterated fear, probably something that’s been manifesting in Yeonjun’s subconscious. It’s the trauma doing this to him. 

“They’re not hurting you, Yeonjun, no one is going to hurt you. I’m here for you, baby, it’s just me, you, and our pup.” Soobin pets Yeonjun’s hair and holds him close, kissing his cheek or temple or wherever he can reach. 

Yeonjun’s nails bite and dig deep into his back, it’s very painful, but Soobin grits his teeth through it. “They’re gonna kill me, they’re gonna hurt me, they’re gonna  _ torture _ me. But I listened, I listened every time, I-I’m gonna listen, I’m gonna follow the rules. I-I’ll recite them p-perfectly from memory.  _ A-Always conduct your-yourself in a respectful...respectful manner with authority, disr-disres-disrespect will not-not be t-tolerated _ .” 

“No, no, no,” Soobin pulls back from Yeonjun, takes his face between his hands, stares him dead in the eyes, “stop it, stop saying that Yeonjun, don’t say that. You don’t have to follow those rules anymore, so stop it. You’re here with me, you’re  _ safe _ with me.” He winces when he feels Yeonjun’s dig into his back more. He’s pretty sure there’s blood by now. 

Soobin’s words seem to have some impact because Yeonjun is pulling his nails out of Soobin’s back and looking at them, seeing the tiniest bits of blood on the tips of his nails. “Oh my god, I-I’m a...monster.” He breaks into more sobs. “I-I-I hu-hurt you-you.”

“Shush, Yeonjunnie, just calm down for me.” Soobin pets back Yeonjun’s hair and kisses his cheek gently. “You’re not a monster and you didn’t mean to hurt me, it just happened. It’s okay, alright? I’m okay and I’m not mad.” 

Yeonjun continues to cry, “I-I don’t...you’re-you’re in-in danger be-because of me.” Then his eyes widen, “Our-our puppy...I’m gonna get them ki-”

“Shh…” Soobin presses his forehead against Yeonjun’s, “You’re not putting anyone in danger, there’s no one coming after you or me or our pup, baby. We’re okay and you’re okay. I won’t let anyone get hurt, not you, not our pup, and not me either because I have to take care of you both. It’s gonna be okay.” 

“S-Soobinnie, I-I-I’m so scared, I don’t...what if I-I put more people in danger? What if I put you in danger?” Yeonjun questions, frowning. “I don’t-I can’t go back but-but-” 

“You won’t go back, baby, you won’t ever have to go back there.” Soobin uses his finger to push his hair behind his ear gently. “I won’t let you go back there, never will I ever let you go back there. You are safe, Yeonjun, always safe with me. Please believe me when I tell you this, Yeonjunnie. I’ll keep you safe.” Soobin tilts his head up and kisses Yeonjun’s softly trembling lips. 

Yeonjun is silent, barely responds to the kiss, but nods once he pulls back. He burrows himself in Soobin’s chest after, curls his body in as tight of a ball as he can manage without constricting his tummy. And Soobin holds him just like that for the rest of the night; holds him lovingly, protectively, firm enough to reassure Yeonjun and himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay another chapter! hope you like it! thank you for your patience as well! 
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/heart_xiu)


	4. Chapter 4

Soobin caresses the back of Yeonjun’s head, slips his fingers through his hair and lightly scratches his scalp every so often. He’s resting peacefully, sound asleep in his arms, on his lap, head atop his shoulder, even snoring the slightest bit.

Soobin would be lying if he didn’t say that seeing Yeonjun in that state of distress not only made him worry about him, but about the baby as well. He vaguely recalls Taehyun talking about high stress levels and how much it can affect the pregnancy in a negative way. Soobin doesn’t want either of them to be hurt or in pain or suffering to the point where he can’t do anything, but at this moment, he feels like he’s lacking and unable to keep his family safe even though he promised his mate and pup.

It’s irrational, he knows, but he desperately wishes he could save Yeonjun from his own mind, swoop in and be the hero, the big, strong alpha he needs and probably wants. Soobin even admits to himself that he doesn’t feel like enough, like he should be more, better than what he’s giving Yeonjun now. 

Yeonjun shifts in his arms, squirms around a bit to recenter and get comfortable again, then settles down, drops like dead weight in his arms once he’s found the perfect spot. 

Soobin’s self-doubting doesn’t feel too good, so he decides to slide his hand around and rest it on Yeonjun’s stomach. Talking to their pup always seems like the right answer in times like this. “Hello, my little one. Are you feeling well? Your mama, well, he had a fright last night. But you’re here to comfort him just like I am, aren’t you? That’s my good pup.” He pats Yeonjun’s swollen belly gently and rubs into it a tiny bit. “You’re gonna like Yeonjunnie more than me, I just know it. And I don’t blame you, I would like him more than me too. He’s just that great.

“Hmm...I can’t wait to see you out of Yeonjun’s tummy. Don’t get me wrong, both of you are plenty cute like this and I love seeing your mama all plump and soft, but I want to be able to physically see you and I know Yeonjunnie’s been suffering a bit with the morning sickness.” Soobin pulls back the slightest bit so he can look at his mate’s face, even prods slightly at his plushy cheeks. “So pretty,” Soobin admires him, stares at Yeonjun’s relaxed face. 

Yeonjun stirs, hums gently, squeezes his eyes until he opens them. He stares back into Soobin’s eyes, his own half lidded and hazy with sleep. Blinking, Yeonjun nuzzles into Soobin. “Were you...talking to me?” His voice is slurred and thick like his tongue is made of something heavy and smooth. 

Soobin smiles and moves the hand from his stomach to his cheek, petting the skin beside his half open eyes. “No,” he chuckles lightly, “I was talking to our pup.” 

“Oh,” Yeonjun closes his eyes and lifts his head, shaking it before rubbing at one of his eyes. “Well, I’m hungry.” 

It’s just like Yeonjun to wake up for food and let Soobin know right away. Soobin wouldn’t want it any other way either. “Do you want to get up with me?” Yeonjun hums his agreement. “What are you in the mood for? Meat or fruit?” 

“Fruit, I don’t want meat right now. Maybe for dinner.” Yeonjun murmurs, blinking his eyes open again so he’s looking at Soobin. 

Soobin opens his mouth to reply when he catches a familiar scent near the door. Internally, his alpha growls, not only because of the interruption of their peaceful morning but because it’s his father, the one that verbally attacked his mate for no reason. But Soobin keeps his composure because his mother probably sent him to apologize. “My father is here.” 

“I know,” Yeonjun presses a kiss to Soobin’s cheek and pulls back, sliding out of his lap. “We should see what he wants.” 

“Are you sure about this, Yeonjunnie? You don’t have to see him even if he is here to apologize.” Soobin gives him options because the last time they spoke, things didn’t go well, and just because his mother sends his father over here, doesn’t mean he’s going to apologize. He may be acting a bit too cautious at the moment, but he doesn’t care, Soobin will not allow Yeonjun to go through that again. 

However, Yeonjun rolls his eyes at him and crawls to the entrance. “It’s okay, Soobin. I can take care of an ignorant alpha, I’ve done it before.” 

“Yeah, but we didn’t know you were pregnant then. It’s better not to risk it, mate.” Soobin goes after him and holds his ankle before he can move the entrance flap out of the way and reveal them to his father. “You know we don’t have to do this.” 

Yeonjun looks back with a raised eyebrow. “I know. Let’s go see what he wants.” He shakes off Soobin’s hand and opens the flap, crawling out and struggling to stand up properly. Soobin helps from behind, holding his waist and pushing him up while he moves forward. Soobin stands after Yeonjun is upright and stable. 

“Hello, Yeonjun, son.” Kwanghoon nods at Soobin and Yeonjun. He’s awkward and though it makes Soobin uncomfortable to see his father acting this way, he’s hoping that it means he’s going to apologize to Yeonjun. 

Soobin steps closer to Yeonjun’s back, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed intimidatingly, even though he knows his father isn’t fazed by his protective stance. He’s barely holding back a growl, but he manages to swallow it down and force out a rather aggressive, “what do you want?” 

Yeonjun shoots him a look of warning. _Don’t be rude, he’s still your father._ He communicates over the mindlink. 

Soobin promptly ignores Yeonjun’s request, not because he wants to, but because his alpha is overwhelmingly close to taking control and challenging his father so he knows not to mess with his mate ever again. 

“Not much,” Kwanghoon, thankfully, cuts right to the chase, “I just wanted to apologize for my behavior last night. It was uncalled for and I should’ve known better than to say things like that, especially when you’re pregnant. My son was completely right and I was wrong. I’m...I’m really sorry for being so close minded.” 

Soobin can see the shame in his stance and posture as well as the light tint on his cheeks from embarrassment. Again, it’s weird seeing his father like this, but it’s necessary. It’s all up to Yeonjun now, whether he forgives him or not is his decision. Soobin looks at his smaller mate and checks his profile to look for any signs of anything that might betray his answer before he says it. But he sees nothing, just Yeonjun’s straight face. 

“Well,” Yeonjun takes a deep breath and looks Kwanghoon in the eyes, “I’ll accept your apology. I can see where you were coming from and change is always hard, especially when there’s no control over it.” 

“Really? You’re forgiving me so easily? My words, my irrationality-” 

“It happens.” Yeonjun just shrugs. “I’d rather not hold a grudge against my mate’s father. As long as you can accept that I’m here to stay, then there isn’t a problem.” 

“Seriously?” Soobin finds himself saying out loud. His voice is incredulous and for good reason, he let his father off the hook so easily. His alpha is the tiniest bit outraged at his mate’s nonchalance, mainly because Yeonjun should be just as angry and unforgiving towards his father as he is. 

Yeonjun looks over his shoulder at Soobin. “Yes, _seriously_. If he does it again then I won’t be as understanding, but everyone makes mistakes. It’s better to forgive and just let it go. Worrying and dwelling over something so...trivial isn’t good for our puppy and certainly not good for me, so I’m choosing to forgive and let it go. But that doesn’t mean I’ll forget about it.” 

Kwanghoon sighs and nods. “You shouldn’t forget it, I wouldn’t. Thank you for accepting my apology. I’ll be better and I hope you and my son will come to visit later on. Seonji would love it if you dropped by every now and again.” 

“We would love that.” Yeonjun responds with a small, genuine smile. “Thank you for apologizing, sir.” 

“Kwanghoon is just fine, Yeonjun. I’ll be off now. Enjoy the day you two.” Kwanghoon offers one more good natured nod with a smile and walks off. 

Soobin’s alpha is fuming. He shouldn’t have gotten off so easily, he should’ve groveled, gotten on his knees and begged for Yeonjun’s forgiveness. And yet, his mate granted Kwanghoon with an easy way out, so mercifully. He didn’t deserve it. Kwanghoon should’ve been knocked to the dirt and turned away. But Yeonjun let him go. 

“Calm down.” Yeonjun turns and wraps his arms around Soobin’s waist, releasing a bit of his soothing pheromones to aid in relaxing him. “Your eyes are flashing red.” 

The red wins out in the end. Soobin is shoved into the back corner and his alpha takes over, controlling his mouth and human body. “Why did you let him go so easily, mate?” His words drip with barely contained anger. 

“Alpha,” Yeonjun speaks softly, placing his hand gently on his cheek. “Alpha, it was my choice. There’s no need to hold onto it.”

“No need? He took advantage of your situation, he knew you were vulnerable and used it against you. How is there no need?” He’s glaring at Yeonjun now, red blazing with fury. 

Yeonjun takes one of his arms back and grabs Soobin’s hand, placing it on his swollen belly. “Our puppy is why there’s no need. There is nothing more important than our puppy, if holding a grudge means hurting them, then I won’t do it. Please understand, alpha, please. I did it for them. Please don’t be so angry.” 

The red eyes are redirected to Yeonjun’s stomach and just like that, the anger has dissipated into a softer, more mellow feeling, one that’s fuzzy and heavy in Soobin’s chest. He rubs the belly bump gently. “For our...pup.” Soobin has never seen his alpha calm down so quickly, but he can feel the peace within him, how the fire that once rose within him has been quelled as if it had never existed. 

“Yeah,” Yeonjun smiles at him sweetly, fondly, “for our puppy. We need them to be as healthy as they can be. Do you see where I’m coming from, my alpha?” 

Soobin’s alpha nods. “Yes, mate.” He leans down and kisses Yeonjun’s forehead gently then holds him, pulls him in for a tight embrace. Slowly, he relinquishes his control back to Soobin, wordlessly, silent, filled with nothing but love and contentment while going back to his space in Soobin’s mind. “I love you, Yeonjunnie.” 

“I love you too, Soobin.” 

+++

They’re at the river with Beomgyu and Taehyun. Taehyun and Yeonjun are speaking with each other while Soobin and Beomgyu play around with Hyejin by the edge of the water. 

“She’s so cute.” Soobin can’t help commenting when he sees Hyejin dip her little hand into the wet soil and then attempt to shove it into her mouth. 

Beomgyu pulls her hand away and shakes his head at her when she looks at him with wide, questioning eyes. “Of course she is, I made her with Taehyun. Doesn’t mean that she is not a little nuisance.” 

As if challenging her father, Hyejin slowly pushes her hand into the wet soil and then brings it back up, pulling her hand closer to her wide open mouth and making a cute little “ _ahhh_ ” sound. Beomgyu narrows his eyes. “Don’t you do it, little girl.” Hyejin pauses, her tongue resting on her bottom lip, then she continues, brings it closer and closer to her mouth. “Stop it…” he warns in a drawl. 

Soobin watches in amusement as Hyejin inches her hand closer and closer, slow, always slow, until she touches her hand to her tongue. The reaction is immediate, her face scrunches and she tries to spit the bad taste from her mouth. 

Beomgyu just sighs and shakes his head, “Told you, baby girl.” And Hyejin, being her adorable little self, cries and reaches for her father. 

“She’s very curious,” Soobin observes. 

“Yeah, no kidding.” Beomgyu swoops down and picks her up. He takes her over to the water, cleans off her hand, and then uses a wet hand to wipe off her tongue. Hyejin pouts at her father, but Beomgyu only kisses the side of her head. “You did this to yourself, little one.”

Hyejin shouts with an angry baby face and pushes at her father’s cheek like she was disagreeing with what he said. She huffs and whines and looks around until her eyes land on Soobin. The little girl reaches towards him instead, squirming in her father’s hold. 

“Oh, so just because you don’t like what I said, you get to abuse me and then try to leave?” Beomgyu clicks his tongue. “You’re so dramatic.”   
  
Soobin comes over and takes Hyejin from Beomgyu’s arms. “I wonder where she gets it from?” He asks sarcastically.

“I helped her and she threw me away.” Beomgyu pouts at his daughter, stepping closer and poking at her little cheek. “Right, Hyejinnie, you’re so mean to Daddy.” 

“Ah ha!” Hyejin exclaims, waving her arm at Beomgyu, who swerves back quickly before he can be smacked in the face. 

  
“Yah, so violent.” Beomgyu scolds, grabbing her tiny baby arm. He kisses the back of her hand and looks up at her from underneath his eyelashes. “I’m sorry, baby girl, I won’t tease you anymore.” 

Soobin watches their interaction intently, Beomgyu pouting at his daughter and Hyejin smiling in his face. It makes him wonder what it’ll be like when Yeonjun delivers their pup into the world. Will they be a boy or a girl? Will they present as an alpha, beta, or omega? Will they look more like Yeonjun or Soobin? Will they _be_ more like Yeonjun or Soobin? 

  
His heart warms at the mere prospect. Soobin would love their child no matter how they turn out to be, boy or girl, alpha, beta, or omega, Soobin doesn’t care. They’ll be the sweetest little angel him and Yeonjun could ever ask for, beautiful and lovely and soft in their entirety. Oh, how Soobin hopes they’ll grow to their full potential, in a loving home, raised to be respectful, upstanding, and overall, an amazing wolf. 

Their pup will be what they’ve always wanted and what they never knew they wanted simultaneously. Their pup will be their world, the only thing that will ever matter to them, their pride and joy. Of course there will be time for themselves, but most of their time and energy will be put into making sure that their pup grows up healthy and the happiest they can possibly be. 

Hyejin whines in his face, breaking Soobin out of his deep thoughts. He smiles at the little girl and pets her hair back out of her face. “What? Are you mad at me for not paying attention to you now, Hyejin?” She makes a sound as if agreeing with his question. “I’m sorry, Hyejin.” He sticks out his bottom lip and brushes his hand over the top of her head. “Forgive me?” 

Instead of replying, she begins gurgling to herself while resting her head on Soobin’s shoulder, bored and no longer interested in Soobin’s face. Soobin laughs and pats her little back. 

“Can I have my daughter back, please?” Beomgyu asks bitterly, arms crossed and trying his best not to pout. “She’s supposed to like me more than you, you know.”

Soobin kisses her cheek gently. “Alright, Hyejin, it’s time to go with Beomgyu, he’s grumpy.” 

Hyejin makes a small fuss as she’s handed back to Beomgyu. “Hey, love me! I made you!” He bounces Hyejin in his arms gently, shushing her until she quiets down and leans into Beomgyu’s chest, closing her eyes. She must be tired after a seemingly active day. “Such a faker,” he whispers affectionately. 

Soobin can’t explain the ache in his heart, the way it clenches painfully, forces blood to gush into his veins. All he can say is that he wishes that were him with his pup. 

+++

It's after dinner, Yeonjun is nice and full from the squirrel Soobin hunted and currently laying on his back, eyes closed while his body is sprawled against the fur flooring. Soobin watches him at first, watches the peace that sinks into his gorgeous features. He's relaxing so well and it makes Soobin happy, Yeonjun deserves the quiet relaxation after what happened the night before. 

After a bit, Soobin moves in, getting in between Yeonjun's open legs and bending down so his face hovers over his swollen belly. The baby bump is stunning on Yeonjun, he wears it well - though Soobin knows that if he told Yeonjun that, he would deny it. But it's true. The baby bump, the extra plushiness around his waist and hips and face just make Yeonjun all the more beautiful, it makes Soobin wonder how he got so lucky. 

He admires his mate for being strong, strong enough to power through the events of trauma last night, strong enough to face his father that morning even though he was probably the one to trigger the trauma for Yeonjun, strong enough to go about the day and make the most of it. It's not the life Yeonjun imagined, Soobin knows, but he also knows that Yeonjun, just like him, wouldn't trade it for the world because now they have their beautiful pup on the way. 

Soobin leans down and presses his face into Yeonjun's pregnant tummy, closing his eyes and connecting with their pup. He takes a deep breath, eyelids fluttering shut while his lips start to move of their own accord. He plants soft kisses on the surface, showering Yeonjun's lower abdomen with love and then working his way up and around so that he covers every inch of it. He feels Yeonjun shift and his body shaking the slightest bit with laughter. "What are you doing, Soobinnie?" He whispers to his mate.

But Soobin only continues his ministrations, checks to make sure he doesn't miss a single spot on Yeonjun's stomach. Once he's finished and completely sure that he has covered every inch of skin, he looks up at Yeonjun, who's already looking at him. "I'm showing our pup some love. What else would I be doing?" 

"Showing me some love?" Yeonjun smiles, eyes alight with excitement and mischievousness. 

Soobin twitches his nose playfully. "Are you being selfish, my Yeonjunnie?" 

Yeonjun pouts. "So what if I am?" He replies petulantly. 

Soobin crawls up, his legs still in between Yeonjun's but his arms now trapping Yeonjun's upper body beneath him. "I have to show our pup some love too, baby."

"How about you give me love now and then you can go right back to our puppy?" Yeonjun tries to bargain with a cheeky smile. 

Soobin leans down, captures Yeonjun's lips tenderly but with some roughness. "And if I said no?" He murmurs against his pillowy lips.

Yeonjun opens his eyes and smirks. "I have the power to move the baby and myself. Then you wouldn't be showing anyone love."

"You would really take love away from our child?" 

"I'm petty like that." Yeonjun shrugs, but he knows Yeonjun is only playing around. If anything, once this baby is born, Yeonjun will forget all about Soobin and shower them with all the love and attention he could manage to give.

“Fine. And how exactly would you like me to show you my love?” Soobin leans down, brushes his lips over Yeonjun’s in a jesting manner, the corners of his lips lifting in a barely contained smile. 

Yeonjun hesitates a moment as if he’s thinking. “The way you were doing it before was just fine.” He licks his lips expectantly. 

Soobin hums and swoops down like he’s going to kiss Yeonjun’s lips, then suddenly moves his head to the right and kisses the corner of Yeonjun’s mouth. From there, he trails over his cheek, switches directions so that now he’s moving upwards to his temple. After he leaves a firm kiss on the side of his face, he kisses across his forehead, planting the biggest kiss smack dab in the middle. He repeats the same process down the other side of his face, a firm peck on the temple, down the side, and over his other cheek, leaving the last kiss on the left corner of his lips. 

“You’re mean.” Yeonjun frowns, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed in frustration. 

“I’m mean? I did exactly what you told me to do.” Soobin smiles. “Did I miss a place?” 

“Yes!” 

“Okay, where?” 

“Playing dumb will not help you, Soobinnie.” 

“Glaring at me won’t help me understand what you want.” 

A staring contest ensues. Yeonjun’s eyes are narrowed in a glare, but it’s weak, there’s no power behind it. Soobin makes sure to mock innocence as he tilts his head and stares at Yeonjun dead on. For a moment, Soobin wonders if he should just give into Yeonjun since the pregnancy has made him more sensitive to Soobin’s jokes. 

But Yeonjun pouts and looks away. “My lips.” 

Soobin can’t help the smirk of victory that tugs at his lips. “What was that, Yeonjunnie?”

Yeonjun huffs. “That’s where you missed...my lips.”

“Awe, I’m sorry, baby.” Soobin kisses Yeonjun on his lips. When he pulls away, he says, “Maybe I wouldn’t have missed it if you let me finish loving our pup.” 

“They’re still going to be in there when you’re done with me.” Yeonjun glares at Soobin.

“So cute, Yeonjunnie.” Soobin chuckles and moves back down to his belly, pressing a kiss just above his belly button. “Do you think they’ll be a boy or a girl?” 

“Hmm…” Yeonjun places a hand on the side of his tummy and rubs the spot like it’ll tell him. “I think that they will be,” his face scrunches up in thought, “a boy. You?”

Soobin hums, puts his forehead against the smooth skin again, and thinks for a little bit. “I think they’ll be a boy too.”

“Really?” Yeonjun asks. Soobin watches him raise an eyebrow after lifting his head. “I thought you would want a girl. Or at least say you think they’re a girl because you wanted to be a little shi-” 

“Hey! No cursing around the pup. They can hear you, you know.” Soobin scolds, rubbing circles into his stomach. “I’m so sorry, pup, your mama is so inconsiderate. First taking away your time with me and then cursing in front of you.” 

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Don’t make me out to look like a villain. They’re going to love me more than you anyway.” 

  
“I’m not competing for the love of my child with you.” 

“ _Our_ child, you mean.” 

“Sure,” Soobin smiles. “Another question: what do you think they’ll be, alpha, beta, or omega?” 

“I have the feeling that it’s between beta and omega.” Yeonjun replies after a minute of silence. 

“Really? I think they’re a beta.” Soobin hears Yeonjun hum and watches him nod. 

“What if we’re completely wrong?” Yeonjun giggles. “And we end up getting a little girl that presents as an alpha.” 

Soobin smiles widely. “We won’t actually know their second gender until they’re older. But even if we are wrong, we are going to love this little pup to death.” 

“Yeah, you’re right about that.” Yeonjun moves his gaze to his stomach. “Did you hear that puppy? Soobinnie and I will always love you. No matter what happens, you’ll always come first.” 

Soobin crawls upwards and plants a kiss on Yeonjun’s lips because he doesn’t think he’s ever loved Yeonjun more, his clenching, aching heart - in the best way possible - lets him know that. 

+++

Soobin stirs and reluctantly opens his eyes as a cold shiver passes over his left side. He looks down at the spot where Yeonjun used to be. At first it doesn’t register, he can only stare at the empty spot and pat over it like Yeonjun will suddenly appear. But once it does process, Soobin is sitting up in panic and frantically looking around. 

He sees the entrance of their tent, left open just a fraction more than it was. Getting up, Soobin crawls outside and stands, scanning the area around him for Yeonjun. 

_Yeonjun? Yeonjun, where are you?_ He calls through their mind link, but there’s no reply. A lump forms in Soobin’s throat while his intestines curl around and tangle each other. Nerves eat away at his brain and his heart beats violently against his rib cage. Air doesn’t come as naturally as it did before and he finds himself almost hyperventilating with panic. 

_Must find mate. Calm down._ His alpha growls internally and Soobin knows he’s right. Forcing a deep breath in and out, Soobin tilts his head up and tries to catch his scent, the one of cinnamon and sugar with an underlying smell of purely Yeonjun. 

A cold breeze blows by and finally, Soobin catches the slightest hint of Yeonjun’s scent. He follows after it, walking fast. The woods stand tall, dark, and downright terrifying, but Soobin heads through them without hesitation because he _will_ bring back Yeonjun. 

His scent grows stronger the further he gets. Soobin finds himself weaving in and out of trees, going this way and that to find his mate who is in the woods at this strange time of night. The moon is high above him and helps to guide his way, its shine breaking through the canopy of trees to stop Soobin from getting tangled in the weeds and to stop him from stepping in holes or on sharp weeds. 

_Yeonjun?_ He tries again, hoping Yeonjun will respond. _Yeonjun, are you there?_

No reply comes Soobin’s way. There’s only three reasons he wouldn’t be answering, he’s blocking Soobin out, he’s unconscious, or...he doesn’t need to go that far, all he has to do is look for his mate. 

Soobin moves faster, practically running. _How far did he go?_ He ponders to himself as the scent becomes more and more potent. 

And that’s when he finally spots him; standing close to the edge of the woods, hand on a tree, faced away from Soobin. “Yeonjun!” Soobin calls out and stumbles as his pace quickens. 

Yeonjun doesn’t move, doesn’t turn to look at Soobin, he only continues to stare out at the clearing. As Soobin comes closer and closer, he sees that Yeonjun’s entire body is trembling, probably using the tree to support him so his knees won’t buckle. 

“Yeonjunnie?” Soobin whispers and takes the last step towards him. Now right behind his mate, Soobin cautiously rests a hand on Yeonjun’s shoulder. “Mate?” 

Soobin didn’t recognize nor process it before, but now that he’s this close, he can’t deny it. He was so hyper focused on finding Yeonjun that he didn’t notice it. Distress and fear lace and sour Yeonjun’s sweet scent, completely overpowering the scent of their pup as well. 

_What’s wrong with him?_ His alpha whimpers internally, genuinely concerned for his mate and their child. Soobin wishes he knew so that he could quell his alpha and his own worries too, but he doesn’t and that’s the scariest part. What did Yeonjun see that could’ve put him in such a state?

His pheromones release on instinct in an attempt to calm his mate down, to alert him of his alpha’s presence and make him break out of whatever daze has trapped him. 

Soobin shakes Yeonjun’s shoulder. “Yeonjun?” He shifts forward so he and Yeonjun are side by side and then follows Yeonjun’s line of sight to another open area surrounded by more trees and more woods. “Yeonjun, what are you looking at?” 

Yeonjun mutters something then, but it’s inaudible, so quiet not even his supernatural hearing could pick it up, so quiet it’s almost like Yeonjun didn’t say anything. Soobin glances over at him, takes in the sickly pallor of his face, the shaking eyes, the trembling breaths that tumble clumsily from his lips. He looks as though he’s seen something absolutely petrifying, but all Soobin can see are plants, woods, and the small critters that belong to the night. 

“What was that, Yeonjun?” Soobin tries again. “I didn’t catch what you said.” 

It takes a moment, but Soobin waits patiently, glancing between the wide open space and his scared mate. In the back of his mind, Soobin feels as though he might have the slightest inkling of what Yeonjun is so afraid of, but at the same time, it’s ridiculous to think like that, cause if it was that, then they wouldn’t be here, standing together, almost like they’re waiting for something to happen.

“They-they...they were....here.” 

Soobin’s eyes widen at Yeonjun’s word and he stares at his mate with furrowed eyebrows. “Who, Yeonjun? Who was here?” 

“The-the…” Yeonjun looks at him and Soobin takes in the terror-stricken eyes. “The agency.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, it’s been a while and I swear I didn’t mean to take this long. my old friend writers block thought it was a great time to visit :)  
> anyway, here’s the chapter, sorry it took so long, I also have some ideas for the next chapter but I might not get it out for a couple weeks bc finals is next week, thank you for being patient and bearing with me :)))
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/heart_xiu)


	5. Chapter 5

“What?” Soobin replies, frozen like Yeonjun just poured ice water all over him. 

“The agency was-was here, Soobin…” Yeonjun says breathlessly, one hand gripping the tree while his other hand rests against his stomach protectively and fearfully. 

“No...no, it-it can’t be, you must’ve been dreaming or-or paranoid. No-” Soobin feels the air in his lungs expel suddenly. 

Yeonjun shakes his head. “I swear, Soobin, I-I saw someone and they-they-” Yeonjun takes a step forward, releasing his grip on the tree, but his legs give out on him, bending at the knee in an attempt to make him fall. 

Soobin catches him before he can hit the ground thankfully, pulls him into his arms and against his chest, Yeonjun’s head lolling to the side, eyes rolling back. “Shit, Yeonjun? Baby?” He grunts with the effort it takes to get on the ground and heave Yeonjun’s body into his lap. He’s practically dead weight in his arms and it forces a lump in Soobin’s throat. “Yeonjunnie?” He strokes his hair back and wipes away the cold sweat that forms on his temples and cheeks. 

It takes a moment, but soon enough Yeonjun comes to, the color that had previously drained from his face now filling back in. A rosy color blooms across the apples of his cheeks and his once pale lips are returning to their natural pink. Soobin coos and comforts him as confusion overtakes Yeonjun’s expression, eyes coated in a thick haze. 

“What-what…?” 

“Don’t speak, Yeonjun, it’s okay, you’ll be okay. Just rest, alright?” Soobin soothes him and pulls him closer to his body, letting out his pheromones to help him relax. 

They sit there for a bit, Yeonjun with his eyes closed and Soobin watching over him worriedly. He pets Yeonjun’s side gently and eyes his baby bump in concern. The quiet of the night consumes them and Soobin hears an annoying ringing in his ears as he tries his best to process everything that has happened in so little time. 

_Come on, Soobin, keep it together. Yeonjun needs you!_ Soobin encourages himself and is able to successfully refocus on the current task at hand. “Yeonjunnie? Can you open your eyes for me, mate?” Yeonjun listens and opens his eyes; they’re half-lidded but open. “Good, thank you.” Soobin rewards him with a kiss. “I’m gonna take you to the doctor’s tent, there should be someone there that can check you out right now.” 

“Soobin, I only fainted, I don’t-” 

“Yeonjun,” Soobin stops him, stares deep into his eyes with an earnest expression, “I need to make sure you and our pup are okay.” 

“I understand that, but I only passed out from fear. They’re only going to tell me that I need to lay down and rest, so instead of wasting the time and energy, let’s just go back to the tent.” Yeonjun says, “You caught me, so I didn’t hit the ground or anything, our puppy is safe, Soobin.” 

“But the stress, the anxiety might have-” 

“Soobin,” Yeonjun brings his hand up, cups his cheek, and stares deeply into his eyes. “Please.” He whispers and Soobin understands. 

“Okay, I’ll take you back to the tent.” Soobin scoops Yeonjun up and Yeonjun wraps his arms around Soobin’s neck. “But you have to promise me that the moment you feel something is wrong, even if it’s just a bad feeling, that you’ll tell me right away.” 

Yeonjun rests his head in the crook of Soobin’s neck. “Okay, Soobinnie.” 

Soobin walks them back to the camp, following the scent of the wolves. He keeps his eyes, ears, and nose peeled for any suspicious sight, sound, or stench, feeling the need to make sure they’re not being followed. Soobin doesn’t catch anything and eventually makes it to the tent, setting Yeonjun in front of the entrance so he can crawl inside, Soobin going inside after him. 

“Should I go tell the head alpha about what you saw?” Soobin asks Yeonjun. “This should be brought to his attention soon, right? What if they try to do something?” 

“I have a feeling that they weren’t here to kill us. But yeah, we should tell him as soon as possible. I’m not sure what they’re doing here, but I know that they’ve found us and it’s probably best that we move camps.” Yeonjun replies, indulging in his anxious habit of rubbing his baby bump. 

“Okay, I don’t want to leave you alone here, so let’s go tell him together.” Soobin reaches out his hand and Yeonjun threads their fingers together. Soobin tugs him out of the tent and they make their way to the head alpha’s and luna’s tent. 

As they get closer, Soobin can’t help but chance a look around and sniff the air, wanting to be certain that there aren’t any people around. He closes his eyes, takes a slow inhale, drags in as much air into his lungs as possible, but ends up with nothing, no human smell, even when he puts all his focus into it. 

Surprisingly, the head alpha is standing there when they arrive. “How did you-?” Soobin starts to ask but the head alpha interrupts him. 

“I could smell you getting closer.” Namjoon explains vaguely. 

  
“Why are you awake so late at night?” Yeonjun questions from Soobin’s side.

“For some reason I just...couldn’t sleep.” Namjoon’s brow creases with his confession. “What about you two? Why are you awake?” 

Soobin takes a deep breath and squeezes Yeonjun’s hand. “That’s actually why we’re here to talk to you. Yeonjun...he saw someone.”   
  
“Saw someone? What do you mean by ‘saw someone’?” Namjoon crosses his arms. 

“I smelt them, I woke up because I smelled human.” Soobin’s a bit confused on how Yeonjun could smell the person. From what he knows about the agency, they use mud to cover their scents, so unless Yeonjun is as good of a smeller as the wolves they have here there’s no way he should’ve been able to smell them. “I got up and followed it and saw the person walking away, but before the woods and night could cover them, I saw the symbol of the...of the agency.” 

“We were a good distance away from the tent, Yeonjunnie, how did you-how did you smell them?” Soobin looks at his mate with furrowed eyebrows. 

  
Yeonjun seems to be caught off guard by Soobin’s question. “I don’t-I don’t know...how-how did I smell them?” He looks down at his feet. 

“It could be the pregnancy, or even the pup. The senses could heighten even more.” Namjoon explains. “Did you see them doing anything?” 

“By the time I got there, I could only watch them walk away.” Yeonjun replies, biting his lip and furrowing his brows in an attempt to remember. “But if something were going to happen, it would’ve happened while they were here. The agency always has them make sure that the job is done.” 

“Do you think they could’ve been out to observe?” Soobin interjects. 

“I’ve never heard anything about observing, but it’s possible.” Yeonjun looks at his mate. “It could be how they locate the wolves and then they send someone to...well, you know.” 

“Yeah...now that this place is compromised, we’ll have to move tomorrow and as soon as possible just in case they come back.” Namjoon sighs heavily.

Soobin watches Yeonjun’s shoulders deflate, his expression turning sad. “I’m sorry…” 

Namjoon’s brows furrow and he shakes his head. “Yeonjun, what are you talking about?” 

“I was the one that brought them to you in the first place. If I weren’t here-” 

“If you weren’t here, you wouldn’t be with your mate.” Namjoon interrupts him. “If you weren’t here, you’d either be dead or still killing werewolves for the agency. If you weren’t here, there would be no omega to prove to my - _our_ \- pack that omega’s have just as much strength, possibly even have more strength than any alpha or beta here. 

“Listen, Yeonjun, you have given so much to this pack. Hell, without you here, we might even be dead. You have proved yourself more than once to me and to everyone else here, including your own mate. Don’t blame yourself because of the inevitable. The agency’s mission is to obliterate werewolves, so we were bound to have another run in with them. Maybe, we’re even supposed to defeat them.” Namjoon says, placing his hands on Yeonjun’s shoulders and looking into his eyes. 

Yeonjun looks away. “I don’t want to doubt you and the pack’s capabilities, but if one person from the agency can defeat a whole pack, then I’d say that our chances alone aren’t very high.” He’s not taking the other factors into consideration, the weapons, catching their prey off guard, whatever else, but Soobin knows he’s right, they won’t be able to take out the agency alone. 

Namjoon releases a smug chuckle at that. “You assume we’re alone.” 

+++

Soobin strokes a hand through Yeonjun’s hair. Morning light is starting to peak in through the crack in their entrance. Soobin couldn’t sleep after what happened, but he’s glad that he managed to cradle Yeonjun back into another light slumber. 

Soobin can’t help but stare at his baby bump with frustrated concern. Frustrated because they weren’t supposed to come back, they weren’t supposed to find them ever again, and yet they did, they found them, and they are a threat to Soobin, Yeonjun, and their family once more. Concerned because he doesn’t want to lose his baby, nor does he want to lose his mate. 

_It’s not fair_ , Soobin thinks to himself as he glances between the baby bump and Yeonjun’s sleeping face. _Why couldn’t they just leave us alone?_

_Does it matter?_ His alpha has the audacity to question, a growl underlying his words. _We have to protect our family either way. It doesn’t matter why they’re here, they’re here and we have to take them out to make sure our mate and pup are safe_. 

He’s right, Soobin knows he’s right but it doesn’t mean he has to stop questioning it. It’d be nice to know why, but it’s probably the same reason they sent Yeonjun in the past: to eliminate werewolves, no matter the size, age, or gender.

His alpha claws at the control, he’s not completely sure why but Soobin succumbs for the time being. His senses grow more keen, eyes glowing red, nose sharper, ears tuned into the sounds of outside, everything is more than it used to be. 

Tilting his head back, Soobin’s alpha inhales deeply, attempting to catch the smell of human or machinery. Unfortunately, he doesn’t smell anything, so he closes his eyes to listen in more intently. Sadly, there’s nothing there either, only the sounds of animals skittering, leaves falling, and wind combing through the grass, bushes, and trees.

With a huff and a growl, Soobin’s alpha opens his eyes and looks at his mate. He tenderly strokes his hair back, leans over him almost curiously, watches. Soobin can feel the flurry of warmth gathering in his chest and he doesn’t blame his alpha, Yeonjun is beautiful and lovely in all shapes and forms no doubt. He has never seen any omega, any _wolf_ , that was or is better than his mate and Soobin doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to find anyone like that. 

Slowly but surely, control is relinquished back to Soobin. Yeonjun stirs at the same time, so Soobin leans down and presses soft kisses to his face. One to his forehead, one to his temple, one to his cheek, one to the corner of his lips, and one square on the mouth; then he repeats on the other side in reverse order. 

It manages to pull a sleepy smile out of Yeonjun, his eyes fluttering open while Soobin gives him his last kiss on the forehead. “What are you doing, Soobin?” 

“I’m making sure that you wake up and feel loved. What does it look like I’m doing?” 

Soobin pecks his lips three times before Yeonjun speaks again. “I wasn’t sure until you just told me.” 

Soobin hums and kisses him one more time. “Well, now you know.” He breathes against his lips before moving down his body so he’s level with his baby bump. “Now for our pup.” 

“Our puppy is getting so big.” Yeonjun rubs small circles into the side of his bulging tummy while Soobin rains kisses all around. 

“They are, and you just entered the second month not too long ago.” Soobin kisses his belly button. 

“I feel like I’m the slightest bit bigger than I should be. But every baby is different. Tae only had Hyejin and yet he looked like he was almost carrying two or three.” Yeonjun replies. “Our puppy is just so, so eager to get out sooner, aren’t you?” He speaks with a baby voice, one he typically saves for Hyejin. 

Soobin passes a hand over the smooth skin of his stomach. “I hope they know that I wanna meet them too.” 

There’s a small silence between them and then Yeonjun addresses the elephant in the room. “I can’t stop thinking about the agency.”   
  
“Don’t worry about them, mate.” Soobin moves back up so that he’s hovering over Yeonjun’s body, face to face. “We’re going to move camps and connect with allies. I’ll protect you and our pup no matter what the cost, Yeonjunnie. I promise, you will be safe from them.”

“What about you? What if they go after you?” Yeonjun asks, his voice slightly shaky with nerves. 

“Why would they go for me specifically?” 

Yeonjun hesitates then says, “The agency knows that personal connections can be a weakness, seeing as I haven’t had our pup yet, you’re the best target. Unfortunately, that also means Taehyun, Beomgyu, Hyejin, Miyeon, Tae-” 

“I get what you’re saying, Yeonjun, but trust me, we have good allies and we’re strong. Plus, they don’t know that you saw them spying on our camp. That right there gives us an advantage.” Soobin moves to the side so he can lay beside his mate, taking his hand and intertwining their fingers. 

Yeonjun squeezes his fingers and turns his head to look at Soobin. “The agency is very meticulous. They’ll get suspicious when we move seeing as we haven’t been here long, especially when we meet with the pack’s allies after. They probably know the nomadic pattern already, they’ve probably been tracking you guys longer than I’ve been here.”

“We can always prepare, Yeonjun, we can always figure out a way to give ourselves the advantage. Now that we have you here, it’ll only be that much easier.” Soobin stares deep into Yeonjun’s eyes. 

“It would’ve been easier if you had just killed me when I first-” Yeonjun’s eyes grow misty and the end of his sentence is choked off. 

Soobin reaches over with his other hand, wipes at the tears accumulating on his lash line, holds his face as tenderly as possible. “Don’t think like that, Yeonjun. It’s not your fault. With or without you, the agency would still be after us. As long as we’re werewolves, our lives will be in danger of humans that don’t like us. 

“However, since we do have you, we now have a chance that none of the other packs before or after us might never have. Do you know what that chance is, Yeonjunnie?” 

Yeonjun sniffles a little bit and shakes his head. 

“We now have the chance of taking down the agency once and for all.”

+++

Namjoon stands at the front with Seokjin, their baby, Kangdae, resting peacefully against Seokjin’s chest. “I bet you’re all wondering why I’ve called you to the meeting space. I’m going to be honest with you. Last night, it was brought to my attention that we’re being watched.” 

There’s a collective gasp among the crowd. “Are we safe here, alpha?” Asks one of the wolves in the throng. 

“To be completely honest, no, we aren’t. The ones observing us were a threat we’ve encountered before. I’m sure you all recall the agency fairly well.” Another gasp follows his words, but Namjoon is quick to silence them. “I have wolves surrounding our camp on look out as we speak. For right now, we need to remain calm and pack everything so we can move. You all know the drill. 

“I will do my best to keep our pack safe and I’m going to ask you to do the same, look out for one another. We’re all in this together. Are there any questions?” Namjoon surveys the crowd. “Okay, if that’s all-” 

“Alpha?!” A hand shoots up from the crowd and Soobin along with Yeonjun are surprised to see such an abrupt hand.

Namjoon looks just as surprised but doesn’t hesitate to answer her question. “Yes, Daeul, what is it?” 

The crowd parts to reveal a young girl, no older than the age of 17 or 18, stepping forward. Soobin can tell that she’s an omega, her frame smaller and stance of a shier nature; that and her sweet smell of lilacs mixed with fresh maple gives it away. There’s a look of determination on her soft features and she’s pushing back her long black hair that rests on her shoulder with a certainty about what she’s going to say next.

“You’re going to need more protection seeing as the agency is very strong. I…” She falters the slightest bit, her eyes falling down to her feet before she shakes her head and meets the head alpha’s eyes with a resolute gaze. “I would like to volunteer to protect this pack.” 

Soobin can’t believe what he’s hearing and he’s obviously not the only one taken aback by her words. Namjoon appears to be speechless, his jaw dropped and his eyes wide. He clearly wasn’t expecting her to say something so bold, especially since she’s an omega. 

But this time Seokjin takes over with a proud smile. “Is this really what you want, Daeul?” 

The young girl, Daeul, smiles back at the luna. “Yes, luna, I want to be a protector.” 

“It’s a lot of hard work, but I believe in you and your capabilities.” Seokjin replies, moving Kangdae up on his chest. 

Seokjin’s words seem to break Namjoon out of his daze. He steps up beside his mate and rests an arm around Seokjin’s shoulders. “Me too. You’ll need training, but you can do this. Does anyone else wish to volunteer because more protectors are needed in this time of need.” 

Hands, here and there, not too many, but there are definitely more omegas raising their hands than anyone thought would ever happen. Namjoon smiles, a proud one that matches Seokjin’s, and says, “Meet me at my tent before you start packing. This meeting is dismissed.” 

There’s only one reason this happened, only one _person_ that really made this happen. Soobin looks down at him, really looks at him, head tilted, brows furrowed, lips ajar in awe. _He did that_.

_That’s our mate_. His alpha relays with so much pride that Soobin feels it filling his chest. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Yeonjun asks Soobin, raising an eyebrow of his own while resting a hand over his pregnant belly. 

“You-” Soobin is interrupted by a lighter voice. 

It’s Daeul. “Yeonjun!” Yeonjun turns to her with curiosity in his eyes. “I-I know we don’t really know each other, um...uh, but I’ve seen you in class! And-and I just wanted to say that if-if I hadn’t seen you fighting to become a protector against all those bigger wolves, all those alphas and betas, I would have never volunteered like I just did.

“You see, my-my father was a protector of the pack and when I was younger, I used to tell him all the time that I would become just like him. When we found out that I was an omega, I lost hope of ever fulfilling that dream. But you…” Daeul looks at him with adoration, “...you proved everyone wrong. You taught me it’s not the size or the second gender, it’s the will and dedication of the person.” 

Yeonjun is stunned, but his cheeks are tinted red and his mouth is dropped open the slightest bit. “M-me?” He stutters over his own words. “I-I made you realize all of that?” 

“Yeah.” Daeul smiles at him brightly. “You are my hero. I wanna be just like you, showing everyone that omegas are as capable as any alpha or beta.” 

Yeonjun’s expression melts into a small, gentle grin. “You’re doing it, you’re already showing them the power of omegas. It won’t be easy, but work diligently and don’t let anyone stop you.” 

Daeul beams and leans forward, hugging Yeonjun tightly but being mindful of his belly. “I will! Thank you so much!” 

“There’s no need to thank me.” Yeonjun replies. “This was all you.” Daeul tugs him in for one more hug and then waves at him, walking away to go talk with the head alpha. 

Soobin stares at Yeonjun again, which earns him another raised eyebrow. “Why are you looking at me like that?” He asks for the second time. 

Soobin steps closer, gets into Yeonjun’s space, and cups his cheeks in his hands. Pride isn’t the only emotion that occupies his chest, a fuzzy warmth shoves its way through and settles just over the expanse of his heart. “You did that, Yeonjun.” His eyes are wide, piercing deep into Yeonjun’s own, peering into his beautiful, _beautiful_ soul. “You are... _incredible_.” 

The corners of Yeonjun’s lips twitch the slightest bit like he’s trying his best to hold back a smile. Pink dusts over his cheeks and he glances away from Soobin’s intense gaze every now and then. “What-? Where is this coming from?” 

“Yeonjun, you...did that. You inspired those omegas and I just-” Soobin feels breathless, like he doesn’t know what to say, and even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to say it. “I love you so so much, Yeonjunnie, you don’t understand.” 

“I just did what I wanted, it’s not that big a deal-” 

“Yeonjun, I don’t think you understand.” Soobin leans down so that their foreheads are pressed together, his eyes still trained on Yeonjun’s. “Before you came, everyone, including me, stuck with the traditions, stayed with them no matter what. This...what we just witnessed at this meeting is exactly why we need you, Yeonjun. It’s why you should be here and why you deserve to be here.” 

Yeonjun finally stops looking away from him. “Do you...do you really mean that?” 

Soobin kisses Yeonjun’s forehead. “Yes, baby, I mean that with my whole heart.” 

Yeonjun pulls back and tilts his head up so he can capture his lips in a kiss. “Okay.” 

“You are one of us, Yeonjun.”

“I’m one of you.” 

+++

They moved, but this time, instead of settling in a place without anyone around, they settle and attach their camp to a camp full of allies. 

Soobin knows these allies. He remembers seeing them and meeting them when he was younger because his father was (and still is) the pack negotiator. They’re nice and well trusted because they’ve helped them out before in situations where they had misunderstandings with other packs or run-ins with humans. 

A couple of them pat Soobin on the back harshly or ruffle his hair in good natured remembrance. He gives them all a wide smile in return. “It’s good to see you all too.” Soobin tugs Yeonjun closer to his side.

“Oh my god! You have a mate now?” One of the alpha wolves exclaims. “It’s been that long? I think the last time we saw each other was when you were fourteen and just getting into training.” 

“Yeah,” Soobin feels a blush rising to his cheeks as he lets out a bashful chuckle. “This is Yeonjun, my mate and mother to my pup.” 

Yeonjun smacks Soobin in the side lightly. “Stop it, you’re embarrassing me.” Pink stains his cheeks while he grumbles at Soobin. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you.” He says to the other wolves in front of them.  
  


“Oh, my omega would just love to meet you!” One beta from the left smiles widely. “She’s a nurse training to be a doctor and she especially loves taking care of pregnant omegas.” 

“Look at Soobin, everyone! Got him a good mate and lookin’ just about ready to settle down with a family of his own!” Says another alpha that appears from where another small group is talking with Namjoon. 

“He’s all grown up now.” Replies another female alpha huddled in their little group. “I can’t wait to meet the newest addition to your family, kid.” She nods her head at Soobin with a sweet smile. 

“Did we tell him that we got a new addition of our own?” Someone questions from within the little crowd. 

“You got a new pack member?” 

“Yep. He had gone rouge shortly after his mate and son were killed due to some freak accident. He doesn’t really like to talk about it. When we found him our alpha was able to convince him to come back with us and join the pack instead of wallowing in his grief. He looked to be on the edge of death when he first arrived, but eventually he opened up and let us nurse him back to health.” 

“Your pack alpha convinced him to stay?” Soobin asks incredulously. “Really? I thought he didn’t really take in rouges.” 

The alpha explaining to them shrugs. “He’s not. But when he came back with the guy, he said he got a feeling that he _had_ to help him and take him in. We assumed that the moon goddess sent him to us.” 

“Why don’t we bring him out here?” The female alpha says. “You know, so they can meet him?” 

Soobin raises his eyebrows. “I would certainly like to meet him, especially if he’s a part of your team.” 

The alpha that relayed the information about the new guy nodded. “Okay, give me a minute. He’s just over there!” He jogs over to the group with Namjoon and pulls someone away, tugging him over to their group.

Soobin glances at Yeonjun, just to check on him, but his eyebrows furrow when he sees the expression on Yeonjun’s face. His jaw has dropped the slightest bit and his eyes shine with awe as the pair get closer and closer to their group. Soobin looks at the man again, this time glaring with his eyes.   
  


He has to admit that for a wolf that _old_ , he is attractive and built fairly well. It makes his inner alpha growl ferociously with rage because his mate should only look at him like that. Without realizing it, Soobin fixes his posture, standing straight, chest puffed out, and face set in a menacing glare. 

When they finally reach the group, the older beta - _huh, just a beta?_ His wolf snarls the snarky remark internally - smiles at them politely. “Guys,” the alpha next to him starts, “this is Doyun.” 

“Hello. It’s nice to meet you both.” The beta, Doyun, says. His eyes move from Soobin’s to Yeonjun’s and his smile falls the tiniest bit, tilting his head as he stares at _Soobin’s_ mate. 

Soobin growls and pulls Yeonjun closer to him with a protective and possessive grip on his waist. Soobin does not and will not share, Yeonjun is _his_ and if he has to fight this guy to get him to stop, he’s ready. “Soobin. And this is _my_ mate. He’s carrying _my_ pup.” He thinks it’s fair to make it clear to this random beta that Yeonjun is his, bearing _his_ mark and carrying _his_ pup. He doesn’t know how to make it anymore clear for this man.

“I-I’m Yeonjun.” Yeonjun stutters over his words a bit in a soft voice and it only makes Soobin squeeze his body tighter to his side.

Doyun’s eyes widen a fraction more. “Yeonjun?”

But really, it’s the next words out of Yeonjun’s mouth that fills Soobin with shock, his eyes almost bulging out of his face and his jaw dropping much like Yeonjun’s did previously. 

“Dad?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all, im sorry this took so long, i really wanted to get this out earlier but it just didn't work out that way  
> but now it's here :D i hope you liked it! thank you so much for your comments and kudos and just for reading in general! it means a lot to me <3 !! 
> 
> hope everyone had a good christmas and that everyone is doing well while transitioning into the new year! stay safe, y'all!
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/heart_xiu)


	6. Chapter 6

Soobin looks between Yeonjun and Doyun, the man that’s apparently supposed to be his father. Now that it's been said, Soobin can see the similarities. They certainly look like father and son seeing as they share the same ears, nose, and face shape. They even have the same hair color, Yeonjun’s roots exposing it’s natural hue that matches the black of Doyun’s hair. 

Doyun huffs out a breath. “Yeonjun? My...my Yeonjun? But-but my son…” 

“I thought...I thought you were dead?” Yeonjun’s eyes shine with tears. 

“Are you sure?” Doyun asks with wary uncertainty, his glossy eyes turning into a weak glare. “Don’t play a sick, cruel joke like this-” 

“I’m not joking. I-I could never. Dad, it’s-it’s really me, it’s Yeonjun.” Yeonjun seems hurt by the slight accusation. 

Doyun clears his throat and looks down at his feet. “Could we have a moment to talk? In private?” 

Everyone in the circle moves away to leave them alone, everyone except for Soobin, who’s still holding Yeonjun close to his side. They may be father and son, but Soobin is worried that Doyun may act out and scare or hurt Yeonjun if he doesn’t believe him. 

“I said-” 

“I heard what you said.” Soobin replies. “But I won’t leave unless my mate tells me to leave.” Soobin looks down at Yeonjun. 

Yeonjun looks back at him. “Could you please give us a moment, Soobin?” 

Soobin doesn’t want to go, he really doesn’t, but Yeonjun needs to talk to his father and he understands. He nods, frowning slightly. “Um, yeah, okay.” He leans down, reaching up and cupping Yeonjun’s face. He tugs him into a kiss, a quick, light peck, and whispers to him. “I’m going to set up the tent, come find me once you’re done talking.” 

Yeonjun gives him a small smile and Soobin kisses him one more time for good measure. “Okay.” Yeonjun whispers back to him. 

Throwing a cautious glance to Doyun, Soobin releases Yeonjun and walks over to where Beomgyu and Taehyun are setting up their own tent. His and Yeonjun’s belongings sit right beside their tent, so Soobin immediately starts assembling the tent in an attempt to ignore the whimper of his alpha wolf for leaving his mate alone with someone else. 

+++

_ “Yeonjun?” Soobin calls into the forest. “Yeonjun, where are you?”  _

_ It’s broad daylight and there are wolves everywhere, hanging out near the river, leaning on the trees of the forest, sitting in the tall grass of the clearing. But for some reason, Soobin can’t find Yeonjun.  _

Yeonjunnie? _ He calls through their mindlink, but again, no answer. Soobin sighs harshly and takes a cursory glance around himself.  _ Where could he be?  _ Soobin questions internally.  _

_ Soobin stalks around the forest, weaving through trees and bushes, searching for his missing mate. “Yeonjun?”  _

_ It’s almost like no one hears him calling for his mate; and now Soobin is frustrated because he can’t seem to find his mate anywhere. He swears it’s only been about an hour since he last saw him, so where could he be? _

_ “Yeonjun!” Soobin yells out and walks around even more. He breaks into a jog and goes through the unfamiliar forest, looking left and right and up and down for his mate.  _

_ “Soobin!” Comes a shrill scream from Soobin’s left, and he’s sprinting, running as fast as his legs will carry him, even shifting at one point so he’s moving even faster. His movements are frantic but precise enough for him to make it without stumbling too much.  _

_ There, in the middle of an open field, is Yeonjun, a stranger holding him close with a knife pressed to his pale throat. His eyes are full of terror, one hand protectively holding his stomach while the other is clutched in a tight fist at his side, mouth ajar as he pants with fear.  _

Soobin!  _ Yeonjun says through their mind link, his eyes now filling with tears.  _ Please, please help me, mate.

_ Soobin’s alpha is feral, but Soobin keeps his tense body in place. Shifting back to his human form, he remains cautious in the current situation, seeing as the stranger is following his every move. Soobin attempts to think of a way to get the knife away from the man, but he can’t seem to find anyway except for Yeonjun to move his hand from next to his throat. _

_ “Anything,” Soobin pleads, “I’ll do anything you want, just-just please don’t hurt my mate. Please, I’m begging you.”  _

Yeonjun, you have to get the knife away from your neck _. Soobin tells him through their mind link.  _

_ The stranger smirks amusedly. “Too late-” and he pulls his arm back in a fluid motion.  _

_ “Yeon-” _

+++

“-jun!” Soobin sits up, panting and grabbing at his head as it reels from the events that happened in his mind. He closes his eyes once more and tries to regulate his breathing, though it doesn’t necessarily seem like it’s working. 

His heart clenches painfully in his chest as his wolf registers that their mate isn’t here with him. Anxiety clutches and creates a tightness in his neck, only making it harder and harder to breathe. Soobin squeezes his eyes shut while panic sets in and then opens them in search of his missing mate. 

_ Yeonjun. _ Soobin says over their mindlink in the midst of their panic. He’s freaking out and can’t seem to gain control over the reaction. It gets so bad that at one point, Soobin starts saying Yeonjun’s name out loud in a croaky, fearful whisper. “Yeonjun.” 

Soobin doesn’t even notice the tears until he feels a wetness landing on his bare hands that are twitching in his lap. Soobin sniffs through his nose and tries to pick up on the familiar scent of sugar and cinnamon with a hint of milkiness, but a fresh trail is nowhere to be found, only the faint smell of him lingering on their tent and belongings. 

“Yeonjun.” Soobin murmurs in a pained sob. 

“Soobin?” Soobin’s eyes snap to the source of the sound in time to see Yeonjun fold back the entrance flap of their tent and crawl inside with a look of worry etched into his features. “Soobin, are you alright?” 

“Yeonjunnie?” Soobin reaches out for him, arms outstretched for Yeonjun to slot himself between. 

Yeonjun does exactly that, his hands cupping Soobin’s face while Soobin’s arms wrap around his mate. “Are you okay, Soobin? What’s wrong? What happened?” Soobin’s face is level with Yeonjun’s chest and he leans forward so he can snuggle into the comfort of his mate. 

Soobin pants and tries to explain to Yeonjun, but he can’t seem to get the words out. “I-I-I...Yeonjunnie, I-I couldn’t…” Soobin gasps through the tears and rubs his face into Yeonjun’s pectorals. “I can’t...c-could-couldn’t-” 

“Okay, okay, just relax, alpha. It’s okay, just calm down for me and the puppy, Soobin.” Yeonjun secretes his soothing pheromones and Soobin inhales them deeply, sags against Yeonjun as the pheromones relax all his excited nerves and cells. “I had just finished talking with my father when I felt your distress, then I heard you call me through the mindlink. I came as fast as I could.” He rubs his back in a small up and down motion that slows the intense drumming of his heart. 

“I-I’m sorry.” Soobin whispers into the fur of his clothing.

“No, don’t be sorry, Soobin. I only want to know what happened and why you’re so upset.” Yeonjun moves one of his hands and uses it to card through Soobin’s slightly messed up hair. “What’s wrong?” 

Soobin nuzzles into his hands and his chest. “I-I…” He takes a deep breath, “I had a terrible dream that you were...you and the baby d-died. That someone from the agency got you and-”

“Okay, shh…” Yeonjun soothes him, petting his hair back. “I’m okay, Soobinnie. Our puppy and I are okay and the agency won’t get us, alright? We have the pack, and my father, and we have you, our alpha, our protector. We’ll all be okay. I trust that you will keep us safe and that the pack will keep us safe no matter what happens.” 

Soobin inhales more of Yeonjun’s pheromones and nods at his words, calming down even more. “Okay, okay, thank you, I-I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Soobin, it’s alright. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Yeonjun sits down on his knees and Soobin slides down so that his head is laying on his lap and his face is pressed against Yeonjun’s bulging tummy. Yeonjun silently pushes his fingers through Soobin’s hair. “Do you want me to tell you about my conversation with my father?”

Soobin, nuzzling against Yeonjun’s protruding tummy, replies, “Yeah, if you don’t mind telling me.” 

“I don’t.” Yeonjun stares down at Soobin while he continues to comb through Soobin’s black locks. “Well...” 

+++

_ [Earlier] _

Yeonjun sits with his father by the stream, his hand sitting protectively over his tummy out of habit. Surprisingly, Yeonjun isn’t the one to speak first. 

“I’m so happy that you’re alive, Yeonjun. I don’t know how, but...the moon goddess has granted me the greatest blessing.” Doyun turns to him with tears in his eyes. “All these years and you’ve been alive.” 

“Dad, if...if you’re alive, do you think there’s a possibility that…?” Yeonjun has to swallow past the lump that forms in his throat at the mere suggestion of what he’s implying. 

Doyun’s face is solemn and suddenly filled with so much melancholy. “I’m sorry, Yeonjun.” 

Yeonjun looks away and does his best to bite back the tears that desperately push at the back of his eyes. “Dad...what really happened that day?” 

“What do you remember?” 

“I,” Yeonjun pauses and thinks back carefully to that horrifically memorable day, “I remember seeing Mom inviting the head mistress inside and she was with a man. She was introducing me to them when you came out, backing away from a wolf...and then I saw it attack you both.” The tears rush out without minding how much Yeonjun doesn’t want to cry. “It-it was hurting mom, but she-she-'' Yeonjun lets out a small sob before clearing his throat and continuing, “she told me to run. I was frozen in place and that’s when the head mistress took me and ran from the scene.” 

“Head mistress?” Doyun looks thoroughly confused. “Do you mean Chunhei? Because she was the woman that visited that day.” 

Yeonjun only gives him a shrug. “I only ever knew her as the head mistress, never anything else.” 

“...What did she do with you after that day?” Doyun asks and Yeonjun can see the tell tale signs of licking flames bursting with life in his father’s eyes. 

Yeonjun looks away and wipes at the tears that seem uncontrollable at this point. He swallows down the pitiful noises and does his best to speak clearly. “Do you...do you know about the agency?” 

“The agency?” Doyun repeats. He’s quiet for a full minute, whether recalling something or connecting the dots or attempting to recognize the title, Yeonjun isn’t sure. “She took you to the agency?” 

With a nod, Yeonjun takes a shaky breath, his hand resting on his pregnant stomach for a sense of comfort. “Yeah, um, she took me there and I trained and I…” Yeonjun tilts his head back, biting his bottom lip, “I-I...I-” Yeonjun doesn’t want to admit to his father that he killed his own kind, but he has too and he will. 

Before he can start again, a calloused hand rough from hard labor encases his own, holding his hand gently and squeezing it. Yeonjun gazes at his father. Doyun’s eyes are filled with sympathy. “It’s okay, Yeonjun. It’s not your fault, it’s my fault. I’m sorry you had to go through that, it should’ve never happened.” 

Yeonjun’s bottom lip wobbles and he unintentionally lets out a sob, his head tilting downwards in shame. Doyun’s arms come around him in a warm, paternal hug. “It’s okay, son, it’s okay. I’m so, so sorry.” Yeonjun cries into his chest for a bit, Doyun holding him and even rocking slightly at one point to help him calm down. “I know it’s hard, trust me, I understand. Let me tell you what really happened on that day, Yeonjun.” 

Yeonjun nods, pulling away to properly sit beside him, and Doyun continues. “That day, Chunhei and her husband came over. Chunhei stayed with you and your mother, while her husband and I went into the kitchen to fix some beers. I turned my back to him and then suddenly there was a sharp pain in my side. When I looked down, I realized Chunhei’s husband had stabbed me. I can only offer my interpretation of what happened because I’m not completely sure why it happened. 

“Before all this went down, your mother and I both decided to suppress our true nature so we could live among the humans. I assume that because I suppressed my wolf for so long, my human side was weakened by the wound and thus my wolf took over. But he was in a daze, didn’t know what he was doing, lost, confused, angered because I...I betrayed him by trying to lock him away like he didn’t exist. 

“In his fit of rage, we backed up the man through the kitchen door before we attacked, but then my wolf lost complete control and attacked your mother while we were out of there.” Doyun sighs a heavy sigh, but Yeonjun tenses up at his words. “That’s right, Yeonjun. I was the wolf, I wasn’t killed by one, I was the killer. I killed your mother.” 

It’s hard hearing that, to let it settle into his mind. The moon being from up above was right in the way they answered because he had one parent, but not the other. But Yeonjun won’t put it against him, he too has experienced the effects of wolf suppression. He tried to attack Soobin when his wolf lost control and didn’t even remember it until Soobin told him that same night. Yeonjun was lucky that time because it could’ve been worse, he could’ve killed someone or Soobin, but he didn’t, it wasn’t that bad, unlike his father’s situation.

“You didn’t mean to.” Yeonjun replies. “I know that and mom knows that.” 

“My wolf went rogue after that. Rogue for a couple days, weeks, months, years, I honestly have no clue. But when I broke out of it, when I was able to shift back, that day was burned into my memory and will forever haunt me. I mourned and mourned over the loss of my family, I thought both of you were dead, killed by my unforgiving paws. Then the pack found me. They were nice, took me in, nursed me back to health, and helped me move on. 

“If I’m being completely honest, I wanted them to kill me, or to at least let me kill myself at first. For werewolves, it’s typical for them to feel that there is no sense of living after losing a mate or, in my case, the entire family.” Doyun sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. “But now that I’m seeing you, I can’t help feeling like it was all worth it. Staying alive, I mean.” 

Yeonjun smiles at his father. “Thank you for staying.” 

Doyun turns to look at him and smiles back. “Of course.” The smile slips off his face a bit, but it only shrinks, it doesn’t go away completely. “I’m so sorry, Yeonjun.” The smile turns bitter and wry, like it’s leaving a bad taste in his mouth. “I’m sorry I let the agency get you. I’m sorry you didn’t have a family for so long. I’m sorry that we tried to trap away this important part of you.” Yeonjun watches the tears shimmer on Doyun’s lash line. “We only wanted the best for you, I swear. The human world is so nice and we were tired of being stuck while the rest of the world moved on and made changes, advancements. We worked so hard, but werewolves aren’t meant for the human world, your mother and I learned that the hard way.” 

“Dad,” Yeonjun says quietly, “I understand. And I love you, I love you and I love mom for trying to give me that.” 

“I ruined your life because of it.” Doyun’s eyes fall to the earth in front of him, tears streaming slowly but surely. 

Yeonjun shakes his head in disagreement. “Ruined? No. You didn’t ruin anything. Without everything I’ve been through, I wouldn’t be here right now. I wouldn’t have my mate or my pup.” 

Doyun’s eyebrows fold inwards and he looks over at Yeonjun, his gaze traveling down his frame until he lands on Yeonjun’s protruding stomach. His eyes widen in surprise and then he’s looking into Yeonjun’s eyes. “You’re…?”

Red color stains Yeonjun’s cheeks and he shrugs lightly. “Yeah, um…I had a heat not too long ago and, yeah...this happened. Kind of surprised you didn’t notice earlier.” Yeonjun trails off his sentence with a slightly awkward chuckle. 

“My son, a beautiful omega.” Doyun’s lips twitch up into a small, genuinely happy smile. “Your mother would be so proud.”

“Really?” Yeonjun chuckles softly, his lips pulling into a bigger smile. 

“Really.” 

+++

“I’m happy for you, Yeonjunnie.” Soobin says, caressing the knuckles of Yeonjun’s hand with his thumb. “You deserve to have your father back.” 

“I still can’t…” Yeonjun huffs with slight frustration. “It’s kind of hard to process everything. I knew there was a possibility that my parents were alive but the chances of ever seeing them again? I tried not to give myself false hope.” 

Soobin turns his head and kisses Yeonjun’s tummy over his clothing. “Of course it’s gonna be a bit hard, but you’ll come to accept it. You just need a little time, baby, and that’s okay.” 

Yeonjun purses his lips. “I know, it’s just...my father is different. I mean-” he sighs, “I don’t know him. It’s been years and during all of them we thought the other was dead.” 

“People change with time, especially when grief is thrown into the mix. It’s up to you now to figure out if you want to get to know him and let him be a part of our pup’s life.” Soobin brings a hand up and caresses the side of Yeonjun’s beautiful face. “But just know that if you don’t want that to be the case, that’s always an option. It’s up to you, Yeonjunnie. Whatever you choose is what we’ll roll with.” 

Yeonjun smiles, albeit a little wry. “I just...haven’t ever really needed a father...no offense to him or anything but why would I need one now?” 

Soobin sighs through his nose and ponders the best way to explain it all to him. “Well, it’s not that you need him, like I don’t really need my parents anymore. But it is nice to have them for support. He seems like a good man and he would probably appreciate getting to be a part of your life and even the pup’s life.”’

Yeonjun tilts his head back and Soobin stares at his neck, right where his mark is. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess it’s just gonna take me some time to get used to...having him around.”

“That’s okay, baby. It’s completely okay to feel this way.” Soobin finally sits up from Yeonjun’s lap and scoots around so he’s sitting directly in front of him. “Do what you feel is right.” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Yeonjun leans forward until his head connects with Soobin’s marked shoulder. 

Soobin kisses his temple. “I’m always right.” He smirks down at his mate, earning himself a solid punch to the shoulder Yeonjun isn’t currently leaning on. 

“Say that once more and you’ll never be right again.” Yeonjun threatens painfully. 

“Had to try,” Soobin wraps his arm around Yeonjun and pulls him closer, “I had to try, Yeonjunnie.” 

+++

Soobin wakes up in the middle of the night. He’s not sure what it is that awakens him and sits up a bit before feeling a harsh tug at his heart. Placing a hand over his heart, it takes Soobin a minute to realize what the feeling means. 

“Yeonjun.” He whispers to himself and turns to look at his mate. There he is, sitting in the corner, no audible sounds coming from him, but with his body trembling like a leaf in thrashing winds. “Yeonjun?” He questions louder so that Yeonjun hears him. 

Yeonjun freezes in his spot and then looks over his shoulder at Soobin. Even though there’s only a stray beam of light shining into their tent, Soobin can see the tears trekking down Yeonjun’s plushy cheeks dutifully. Fresh tears sit on his lashes and his pretty lips are pulled down into a pout. 

Concern overtakes Soobin and he crawls over to his mate. However, before he can pull Yeonjun into his lap, he speaks. “I didn’t want to wake you.” His voice cracks and the new tears create a new track. 

“Baby, I could care less about sleeping.” Soobin brings his hand up and pushes away some hair falling into Yeonjun’s shimmering eyes. “What’s wrong?” 

“What if...what if I’m not a good parent to our puppy?” 

Soobin wants to laugh at the sheer silliness of the question. It’s so random and out of the blue: where would Yeonjun even get an idea like that? “Yeonjunnie, why are you thinking like that? You should be sleeping.” 

Yeonjun sniffles and huddles in on himself, careful of his belly. “I had a nightmare.” 

Soobin moves closer and wraps his arms around Yeonjun, pulling him into his chest so his head can rest gently on his shoulder. “What was your nightmare about?” 

“I-I...I had our puppy but our puppy…” Yeonjun gasps out a sob and hides his face into the crook of his neck, “our puppy didn’t want me. They-they cried and cried and they wouldn’t stop! They rejected me and kicked and screamed and then when you came, they-they only wanted you!” 

“Awe, baby,” Soobin’s hand rubs up and down his side, “that won’t happen.” 

Yeonjun rubs his tear tracks and his runny nose on Soobin’s shoulder. “How do you know?!” He whines in distress. 

“Because you’re amazing and you’re going to give birth to our pup and our pup is going to love you just as much as I do. They want and need a mother and you’re going to be that for them, okay?” Soobin turns his head and nuzzles his nose into Yeonjun’s hair, releasing his pheromones so he can help his mate relax. 

Yeonjun inhales and stutters on his breath. He coughs out his next sob and whimpers at Soobin, who squeezes him even tighter than before. “I’m afraid, Soobin.” 

“What are you afraid of, my love?” 

“I’m afraid that I’m going to be a bad parent because I didn’t have any. I-I don’t know what to do with a baby.” Yeonjun’s crying calms down a little bit, but his body, mainly his shoulders, are tight with tension. 

Soobin sighs into his hair. “Baby, you know what you need to do. It’s only a pup, you have to feed it and love it.” 

“It is not that simple-” Yeonjun attempts to cut in with a protest but Soobin stops him. 

“It will be that simple because your instincts will kick in. And think about it, this isn’t just any regular pup, this is  _ your  _ pup,  _ our  _ pup. They’re connected to us, whether they like it or not.” Soobin tells him and brings up his other hand to cradle Yeonjun’s wet, plushy cheek in his larger palm. 

With a tiny sniffle and a prominent pout, Yeonjun replies, “I sure hope our puppy likes it.”

“They will, Yeonjunnie, I promise.” Soobin turns his head and kisses his forehead gently. “They will love you so much. You know why?” 

“Why?” 

“Because you’re so darn cute, Yeonjun.” Soobin loves the watery, but relaxed giggle that comes out of Yeonjun. 

“I’m not, stop it,” Yeonjun whines and continues to groan, “I’m trying to be sad.” 

“Yeonjun,” Soobin kisses his head once more, “it’s the middle of the night and you should be asleep, not sad.” 

Yeonjun snuggles deeper into Soobin’s chest. “I don’t know if I can sleep after that, alpha. What if I have more bad dreams?” 

“I’ll be right here for you, Yeonjunnie, I promise. I’m sorry I can’t keep them away, but I’ll do my absolute best to reassure you and make sure you know it was only a dream.” Soobin gives him another light squeeze. “Go to sleep, baby, it’s gonna be alright.”

So Soobin sits there, rocking gently to lull Yeonjun back to sleep, and hums softly in a low tenor. With his thumb, he caresses Yeonjun’s cheek until he can’t feel his cheeks puffing up and down with breath, only the tiniest whistle of noise alerts Soobin that his mate is finally resting peacefully. 

“Our baby is going to adore you, Yeonjun, just like I do.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't intend to take so long writing this, so sorry for that.   
> hope you like this chapter and thank you all for being so patient with me <3   
> stay safe everyone and have a good day!
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/heart_xiu)

**Author's Note:**

> so here is the first chapter! it's short but i think it's a pretty good start! 
> 
> i just want to ask for your patience and cooperation please! with school and everything, it's harder for me to write as much as i used to and as fast as i used to but i would also like to write other things as well, so please respect that. i promise you, i WILL finish this book, so please give me some more time to come out with my chapters. 
> 
> i hope you're having a good day or night and you're staying safe. i appreciate you all, thank you for reading <3
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/heart_xiu)


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